


Aim True

by randomramblesff



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, WIP, and so did annie, because jeff deserved to be happy, jeff x annie, post-s5, season 6, small details from canon s6 included, university of science and techonology with h a n d s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-06-18
Packaged: 2018-05-30 12:44:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 71,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6424672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomramblesff/pseuds/randomramblesff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's their sixth year at Greendale and Jeff has a plan.<br/>(Post-S5 or S6 AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nothing Was Worth That Risk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction.  
> Jeff ponders and plans.

Jeff thrived off not planning.  
He was known for it. He was known for letting things slide and seeing everything pass on by because it was easier than thinking about all the different permutations of how things could turn out. It was also a lot easier and less stressful because he didn’t have to lift a finger. He could just sit back, relax, and put in a helping hand every now and then when it was asked of him. That’s generally how things went.

But more and more recently he’d started to think differently, because he’d begun realising that if he _didn’t_ ever plan things, then more and more things would start to fall down around him and he’d be left scrambling to pick up the pieces as fast as he possibly could.

The realisation came with the fact that he was currently doing just that; he was scrambling around trying to pick up the pieces after what had been one of the weirdest ends to a semester he’d yet to experience. It somehow topped paintball on a scale of bizarre to Greendale and that was saying rather a lot.

The pieces that needed putting back together, were the ones that had been created in the aftermath of almost losing Greendale. As it had started slipping through his fingers, he’d grabbed onto the closest thing he could find because it was easier than just accepting that some things don’t last forever.

The closest thing ended up being Britta, because somehow to Jeff, she was rather like Greendale. She was easy, she was comfortable and she was there when he needed her, and sometimes, when shit hits the fan, that’s all you need; comfort. You need someone (or some _thing_ ) you know, someone that’s uncomplicated, someone who’s not going to get too emotionally attached, or someone who _you’re_ not going to get emotionally attached to.

Sure, he liked Britta and he had to admit he’d sure as heck been ready to get back on that study room table and do the deed, but quite honestly, he would have done it with anyone who’d walked in the room because he’d needed to just space out for a second and _feel_ something that wasn’t the hopeless drop in his gut that everything he’d started to love and everything he’d grown to know, was about to slip away from him.

And then of course, there was that unmissable, Annie shaped piece of information that had been filling his mind and every thought as soon as he’d taken off that stupid headset. He’d known something was going to happen before he’d even looked at her… before he’d even stood up to the challenge, he’d _known_ in his heart that everything and everyone was in the wrong place.

Every syllable of her words rattled around his mind until he’d actually done something about it; _we have to let each other want what we want._ He knew he’d lost her. There was no going back; he knew in that moment that she cared enough for him to let him want what he so-say wanted.

She’d aimed it directly at him, even if he was the only one who’d known it at the time. Everything had dropped in that moment. Every feeling and gasp of air had been kicked out of his system because she’d been so open and honest, which is more than he’d ever given her. She deserved that much. She deserved _more_ , and now he knew it.

He just had to fix it.

Since the start of the summer and the last echo of the gavel against the study room table, he knew she’d been trying to distance herself.

She’d skipped out most gatherings at the new bar Britta was working out; she’d avoided him at her and Abed’s apartment (excusing herself for a shower was the usual reason – so then she could shut herself out and spend however long it took to blow dry her hair); she’d started spending more time at the library so whenever he did come over it was very likely she was out anyway, and even if she was ever in the same room as him, she tended to stick around with Abed and only smile and talk to make it _seem_ like everything was fine.

But it wasn’t fine, and that’s why now, planning seemed like the only possible way to go about things.

He’d given himself time to adjust to the idea that he was quite frankly, in love with her. It had taken a few weeks before he’d actually accepted the truth. He may have looked fine on the outside but for the first month of summer, he’d locked himself in his apartment and drunk away his sorrows because once again; it was easier.

But the problem wasn’t going away… not that it _was_ one. He couldn’t really define being in love with one of the most beautiful, strangest, smartest and funniest women, ‘a problem’, but that feeling deep down inside of him was still sat there. It was still burning away at the same strength it had as he’d driven off campus after clearing up things with Britta, before he’d started on his first bottle of scotch out of many.

So the plan in his mind so far was to show Annie that he _could_ give her what she deserved. He knew he was broken and he knew that there was a lot more he’d have to do for it to ever seem like _he_ deserved _her,_ but he was going to try his best because if he didn’t, he’d end up losing her altogether and he wasn’t sure it was worth that risk.

 _Nothing_ was worth that risk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Season 6 for many reasons, but there also lots of reasons why I dislike it, mainly reasons to do with how the characters are slightly OOC in certain episodes and how broken Jeff became, so I was thinking about it and I was like – do you know what would have a made a really nice parallel to Season 1? 
> 
> A final season where Jeff decides to get his act together to prove to Annie that he could be the best he could be (even if what he already was, was enough for her). It would show growth and it would be the opposite of what he did with Britta back in the early days. He’d actually be trying his best to improve himself for others so that he could possibly get a shot at what he wanted (aka – Annie). 
> 
> And like I said, the characters were sort of left at the wayside in certain episodes so they came out a bit OOC, especially when it came to Annie. There are lots of ways to interpret her behaviour, and I think the best way to look at is that she was trying to distance herself after the end of Season 5. This makes a lot of sense and I like that, but I think she would have started to realise she was missing out on a lot of stuff that she held close to her heart (aka – Jeff – we kind of see this in Basic RV Repair & Palmistry, but that’s about it), so this is basically a story to put all that into action. 
> 
> Oh and Shirley’s still here, so no Frankie I’m afraid, although she might come in later on. I do like her character though, but we’ll see. Also - this fic is basically just a way of making Jeff and Annie happy, so if it get's fluffy... then that's why. I just want them to have the moments they deserved... IDK. So many people have so many opinions of how things should be handled so you can never really get it perfect... just enjoy it, okay? Haha!
> 
> The title is partly a Vance Joy lyric but also just a phrase that worked well. Shoutout to Janine (zacscottysnl) for keeping me sane at 4am whilst writing this beast and for sending me the powers of Kevin and Harry.


	2. Nothing Was Worth That Risk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dean gives Abed some trash bags.

“Okay, so as you all know, over the summer there was a slight collapse of the ceiling in the cafeteria due to an excessive amount of frisbees on the roof, which have now been moved into the storage room. _But_ , whoever moved them decided to _literally_ fill the place with a sea of frisbees so I’m going to need somebody to come and help clear them out… or two of you, whoever can help will be fine.”

 “I’ll do it.” Jeff piped up, shrugging his shoulders a little as he slouched in his chair which was as usual, facing in Annie’s direction. Britta snorted before raising a quizzical eyebrow.

“What?”

“You never want to help, what’s up with you?”

“What? Nothing… Annie asked for volunteers so I’m _vol-un-teer-ing._ ” Jeff said, speaking in syllables to make his point clearer.

“Yeah but you never volunteer… so…?” Britta pushed further, rolling her hands around in the air as if they would somehow pull an answer out of him using some form of magnetic force.

“So… who cares?”

Annie rolled her eyes before tapping her pen against the table as she stood, waiting for anyone else to put themselves forward. She’d rather not have to deal with Jeff but if he was so insistent, she wasn’t about to stop him… plus, he had the strength and build for such a job, so he’d probably end up being quite useful.

“Abed? Would you mind?” Annie asked with a smile and a pout, casting a gaze towards Shirley and Chang just in case they were willing to step forward. Annie had already crossed Britta off the list of possibilities.

“Nope.” Abed replied simply, smiling back at her before stealing a look at Jeff who was still looking up at Annie with wide eyes.

“Oo…kay then… there’s not a lot more I can give the rest of you for today, so I guess that will be all… although I’m sure the Dean will let me know if there’s anything else before tomorrow. See you then?” Annie smiled back at everyone on the left-hand side of the room. Jeff tried to take that as a coincidence but he couldn’t help but have a sense of FOMOONA (fear of missing out on Annie).

“I have to go and check on the brownies they’re making for Shirley’s Sandwiches… I came up with a new recipe… I’ll see you later Annie!” Shirley cooed as she got up and left, waving back to everyone as she slipped away.

“Abed?” Annie asked, pushing her chair back in before carefully repositioning her binder inside one of the cabinets situated below the whiteboard. Jeff couldn’t help but watch her every move these days, even if things had been slightly tense.

Somehow knowing in his heart that he was in love with her, made every movement, every breath and every blink so much more intense. It was like switching a video from the lowest quality setting to the highest; everything was so much clearer now… he kicks himself for not noticing so many things before.

He didn’t like to get too deep into his thoughts but if he had to pick out one of the newest Annie discoveries to be his favourite, it would probably be the tiny little crease between her brow that formed every time she was challenged or questioned upon. He’d always noticed it before, but now for some reason he was fixated on the fact that it was just _always_ there whenever she started to work over time.

He’d even found himself trying to force it out of her, which was also becoming one of his new favourite things, because getting Annie riled up was always entertaining.

He snapped out of it when they got to the storage room though, because it was a _mess_ and he was going to need full concentration unless he wanted the extremely wonky looking cabinet to topple over and squash her flat.

That was also something he’d noticed and attempted to stop from happening. He was always on the lookout for things that might affect Annie. Instead of always looking out for himself, he was now looking out for _her_ (even more so than before) because he knew if something ever happened, it would probably end up doing twice as much damage to _him._

It was pathetic really and that’s why he needed to stop thinking so much about it all. He just needed to get on with his plan and get on with what Annie had planned; clearing out the ridiculous amount of pigeon faeces covered frisbees that were crumbling beneath their feet. 

“So I guess we’re just picking them up and chucking them out, right?” Jeff asked, turning over one of the discs in his hands.

“Well we’ll actually be bagging them and then they’ll be dropped off at a recycling centre. It’s a pretty decent amount of plastic to just chuck away so it will be doing some good.” Annie shrugged happily before passing Abed and Jeff a roll of trash bags each.

Jeff pouted with them in his hand, deciding to just get on with it as he ripped out the first, pulling it apart before hanging it on the side of a more stable looking shelving unit that if toppled over, would hopefully fall in the direction of him rather than Annie (or Abed, for that matter).

“So, err, what have you guys been doing the past couple weeks?” Jeff asked, mainly to get the ball rolling but also out of curiosity seeing as he really didn’t know.

“I went to a film maker’s convention, Annie took some online courses to help further her studies and Britta moved in to our place.”

“ _Abed!_ ” Annie squeaked out a gasp, pausing to glare at him as she picked up some frisbees. Jeff looked between the both of them, wondering why Annie was all of a sudden so tense. Which part of what they’d been doing did she so obviously not want him to know about?

“Err… did I miss something?” Jeff had also paused, his eyes still flickering left and right. Annie’s shoulders dropped as Abed shrugged.

“No… no, like Abed said… Britta moved in.” Jeff nodded whilst he turned the corners of lips down as he took in this new piece of information.

“Did she get kicked out of her apartment or something?” He bent back down and they all started to continue de-frisbeeing the room, the question lingering amongst the rustling noises and the rumbling of the air vent.

“She couldn’t afford her rent so she had to move. It turns out we were her only option.”

“Yeah, that’s Britta code for I got kicked out _because_ I couldn’t afford the rent.” Annie shrugged at this, before turning away and fixating on one corner of the room which had a particularly large pile of frisbees stacked up.

The main reason for her stare directed towards Abed was because he _knew_ she wanted to avoid any opportunities of awkwardness, and talking about Britta with Jeff, didn’t exactly help the situation.

Towards the end of the summer things had settled a little and she’d been able to focus on Jeff without getting mad at herself for overthinking his every move. He’d moved on… but _that_ was the reason she was kicking herself. What had he moved on from, exactly?

According to him; nothing. They were just particularly close friends that shared platonic hugs and platonic eye contact. Even the particularly close friends part was debatable, because if they _were_ that close then he would just be honest with her and there wouldn’t _be_ any opportunities for awkwardness because she’d just _know_.

She did just know though, well, according to her. He wasn’t interested and perhaps never had been. He was simply Jeff, and Jeff didn’t believe in love or romance or any of these ideas that she had in her head. He believed in getting married to someone you’d slept with a dozen times and then brushing them off like he _hadn’t_ just proposed or bent down on one knee or whatever he had done.

She didn’t want that and she had bigger more important things to worry about than Jeff. Not that she didn’t worry about him… she did, tremendously, because they were friends, and friends worried about each other, just like how she worried for Abed when Troy departed on his voyage. In fact, because she worried about him, she’d asked him how things were going over the summer because he seemed particularly quiet. He’d put it down as fatigue and she forced herself to take it as that.

That was her limit now; think, but don’t act (unless someone is in serious need or danger).

* * *

 

As she dozed off in her thoughts, the room fell particularly quiet as Abed tied up his first bag and took it outside so that it wasn’t getting in the way. So when Jeff stood beside her, she was taken aback by his booming voice that echoed around the room.

“So… why didn’t you want me to know about Britta moving in?” She was also taken aback by the question; of course, he wanted to know about Britta… they were former-fiancée and fiancé after all.

“What do you mean?”

“You made it _pretty_ obvious that you didn’t want me to know… so… what gives?”

“Nothing… I didn’t not want you to know.”

Jeff pouted, watching her from the corner of his eye as she scooped up some plastic discs from the floor. He couldn’t read her expression but he knew she was purposely avoiding his eyes due to the fact that she didn’t once think to pick up the frisbees nearby to him.

“If it’s about the whole en-.”

“It’s not.”

“Err… how do you know what I was about to say? I didn’t even finish my sentence.”

“You don’t need to.”

“But I could have been saying anything…” Jeff gritted his teeth as he looked down at the crown of her hair as she picked up a few stray frisbees which had slid into the spider web filled crevice beneath a filing cabinet.

“It’s got nothing to do with me.” Jeff rolled his neck back, looking up to the ceiling but regretting it as the lights temporarily blinded him.

“Annie… come on…” She was standing back up now, facing away from him as she tore another trash bag from her roll.

“What you were about to say has nothing to do with me. It was a decision you made and it has no relevancy to my life, so I don’t need to know.” She clapped her hands slightly as she brushed off some dirt, making it seem as if she was ending her little monologue. Even if he could see the dust floating down from her palms, it sure as heck felt like it had been directed at him.

“It has go-.”

“Nope, it doesn’t. Don’t like act like it does and don’t make me feel pathetic. If it’s got something to do with me,” she paused as she stood back up from crouching to face him, looking him directly in the eyes, “then tell me why that is.”

He looked away for a brief moment. He had several options.  
Tell her the full and honest truth that he loved her and see her storm out of the room in tears because it sounds like complete and utter bull crap; tell her that it was a stupid mistake that he made and have her point out how that still doesn’t have anything to do with her or… flee the scene. So he did neither, because every single scenario ended up with Annie getting more agitated and the risk of getting a fist to the face, even higher.

“See? You can’t even think of one. So, let’s stop talking about it. I’m happy, we’re happy, everyone’s happy. It’s got nothing to do with me.” She smiled but he’d studied her facial expressions for too long now to know that the usual bright spark wasn’t quite there in her eyes.

“Then how come you sai-.”

“The Dean gave me some more trash bags in case we need them.”

If his plan wasn’t in place and if he hadn’t already taken a sip of scotch earlier on, Jeff was sure he would have jumped on Abed and buried him in amongst the brittle plastic that was still ready and waiting. That guy had skills when it came to timing. _Impeccable,_ Jeff thought.

“Thanks Abed.” Annie happily accepted the new roll in his hand before sending a genuine smile back to Jeff. It still wasn’t quite right; it was a shared, hand-me-down from Abed who could somehow please her no matter what was going on.

He didn’t however, quite have the reaction time that came with being in love with someone, as Annie slipped her foot into a donut frisbee, her hands flailing in the air. Annie was saying a prayer that Jeff didn’t… launch himself around her and press his heavily heaving chest up against hers… exactly like he was now doing.

She avoided his eyes before confirming she was okay with a quick hum.

The last thing she needed was for him to be her hero, just when she was trying to become her own.


	3. We're Having A Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff proves he has giant hands and Annie sits in her car.

“What are you doing?” Annie asked as she wrapped both arms around one half of a heavy stack of books that the Dean had requested her to move. Everyone else had fizzled out of the study room before she’d even had chance to ask for extra assistance, so she was getting ready to make two trips before Jeff appeared out of the corner of her eye, wrapping a _hand_ around the left over pile.

“Helping. What does it look like I’m doing? Does it look like I’m stealing them? Because honestly, I’m not really looking to learn…” Jeff paused to read one of the front covers, “…’Simplified Chinese’ any time soon.”

“Yeah, I know, but why are you helping? I’m fine.” Jeff shrugged as he scooped up the second and final tower of books, cradling them in the nook of his arm.

“Everyone else just walked out so I thought I’d help take them wherever you’re taking them.” As Annie turned her back to him she rolled her eyes slightly.

Ever since their abruptly cut short conversation a few days prior, things had remained the same. She had no need to get caught up in Jeff’s self-made drama, so she stayed out of his way unless absolutely necessary. It would be fine eventually, when he’d started to ignore her himself and wasn’t messing with her mind like he was currently.

“So… where are you taking them?” He asked, noticing she’d completely zoned out as she balanced a couple of extra things on top of what she was already holding.

“Not far, just to one of the other study rooms. You can leave them if you want.” Jeff shrugged again before nodding his head forward as she started to walk away. He trailed behind for a while before they automatically fell into step. His long slow strides matching the pace of her short and snappy ones… he’d started to find that amusing whenever they did end up walking together.

They turned left into another section of the library, stopping soon after to dump the books down onto a desk. It was smaller than ‘Group Study Room F’ but still had the familiar smell of dust and damp mould. There was also a slight tinge of paprika, which was coming from some recently consumed spiced potato wedges… the evidence of them being ‘recently consumed’ was found in a trash can nearby. Annie wrinkled up her nose, shaking her head as she walked past.

Naturally, Jeff just followed her lead by sliding the books onto an empty shelf in the corner of the room. An unsettling silence fell between them which had started to happen more and more often, leaving Jeff feeling hopeless that things would ever go back to ‘normal’.

But then he remembered that Shirley had been absent and hadn’t been in touch for a few days, so he actually had a valid reason to talk.

“Have you heard anything from Shirley? I wonder why she hasn’t been back since Monday?”

“No… it could be something to do with her dad though. She mentioned something about him being unwell to me a while ago.” Annie answered, scrunching her face slightly as she forced one of the final books into place.

“I hope he’s okay.” Jeff added as he perched on the corner of the desk, flicking at a loose splinter that was poking out the side. It dropped to the floor so he crushed it under his shoe like a burning cigarette or an ant that is persistent in attempting to crawl up your leg.

“Yeah… me too.”

Jeff carried on scuffing at the carpet. His only other thoughts were about Britta moving into Apartment 303, but he already knew a fair amount from the past few days and things being said over lunch.

“Are you guys doing anything this weekend?” That was the best he could do without getting onto dangerous grounds again. Not that it was dangerous… he knew he would eventually have to get a move on with telling her the truth about what was really going on inside that heart of his (that, according to his previous statements, he didn’t have), but for now, it would be like walking on quick sand. He’d get sucked in far too quickly.

“No. I have work to do, Abed’s shooting something for a project he’s working on and Britta’s working over time because she’s yet to pay her first month of rent.” Jeff snorted before crossing his feet over at the ankles, leaning back on his wrists as Annie carried on with her book sorting duties.

“Are you still working at that lab in Denver?” He only knew of this through Abed who’d dropped a few pieces of information here and there. She was doing some part-time work at a forensics lab in hopes of getting closer to actually settling down with something _full-_ time, as well as completing further online courses as Abed had mentioned the other day.

“Yeah, but only two days a week now because of classes. But the more I do, the more likely I’ll be able to successfully apply to internships so even if I _am_  working super hard, it will be worth it... hopefully.” Annie was in a world of her own as she spoke, leaving Jeff to daze off as he watched her gracefully float around the room. That was exactly how he’d describe how she moved; she floated. She was so light and airy that she seemed to glide past so effortlessly, like a feather see-sawing back down to earth.

“What about you? How are your classes going?”

“Oh, err, yeah… fine… good, actually. I even got my syllabi written up and not a single one of my students has watched a second of Planet Earth. You should be proud of me.” He smiled smugly, just missing her rather unimpressed expression as she brushed past him. He did however, catch her taking a glimpse back at him as he stretched out his arms, the curve to his muscles appearing more defined. His smile grew even wider.

“I’m not necessarily proud of you for _that_ because it is your job, but I am pretty impressed you used the word ‘syllabi’ instead of ‘syllabuses’.”

“That’s how great a teacher I am now. I _know_ this stuff.” Annie smiled at this. Jeff gave himself a mental high five. Every time she smiled or showed some form of friendly affection, it was a tiny percentage of his plan being put into action. He may not thrive off of planning completely, but he sure as heck thrived off Annie.

“Okay, I think I’m done. Thanks for the help.” Annie flashed him a tight lipped smile before whipping around, leaving him with no chance to respond with a quick ‘no problem’. Except there was a problem; he wanted her to know it really was no big deal. He _needed_ her to know that he was there for her and that he could be relied upon.

He was done with it being a surprise. He was done with the snorts and suspicious glares from Britta about stepping up to the challenge. He was done with Abed staring between him and Annie (even if he was right to do so).

He wanted things to be expected of him, and he didn’t want those expectations to mean nothing. He wanted them to mean _everything_ , because that’s what she meant to him now.

Or perhaps if he was totally honest; that’s what she’d always meant to him.

* * *

 

They found out a week later that Shirley had indeed been away due to her father’s illness, his condition becoming more and more of a concern. Although Annie had been in the know over summer, Jeff had been the first to hear of the news that she would be relocating to Atlanta so she could be beside him whenever needed.

As she’d pulled him in for a hug in the quad, his throat had caught at the fact that things were changing once again. Now it would only be himself, Annie, Britta and Abed left around the study room table (along with the occasional Chang) and that realisation hit him harder than he’d expected.

They were a family now and that same familiar pang of someone he loved walking away fizzed inside of him. She was leaving. She had to leave of course, because her father was important to her and even if her sandwich shop was building up to good things, it meant nothing in comparison.

The news broke slowly to the rest of them, the last person to find out being Abed who had tilted his head and rhetorically asked, “You’re leaving?” before giving a quick nod, stepping forward to be embraced, his chin resting on Shirley’s shoulder as the rest of the group stood back. Annie had been ready and waiting to support Abed with this news, but he’d smiled and reassured her he was okay and agreed to the idea that they should all get together one last time for a farewell party…

* * *

 

As they all sat around the table in Apartment 303, it felt like the end of an era. Every smile and every cackle of laughter didn’t quite linger as long as usual, because every moment was now the _last_ of being together. Every memory they reminisced upon was yet another reminder that it would be some time before they created new ones.

“Do you remember that time when Annie got _so_ mad because she thought she’d lost her pen and it turned out to be the monkey? Whose name I shall not repeat because I personally believe it to be inappropriate.” Britta spoke, jutting out her chin as she proudly added on her opinion.

“Do we _have_ to remember it?” Annie cringed at the thought, her face drooping. Jeff had to lean forward slightly to see her, his view obscured by Abed who had decided to mix things up in terms of seating arrangements.

“I ripped a _carpet_ up for you.” He lent forward some more, his eyebrows raised as he reminded her of the fiasco, receiving an eye roll in return.

“I didn’t _ask_ you to rip up a carpet, you went crazy and decided it was a good idea.” They looked at each other for a moment, and for a second, in amidst of the discussion, the world blurred around them and all they could see was each other. There was a sparkle in Jeff’s eye as he smirked a little, his eyes creasing at the corners as he got sucked into her own.

“And then you both started to strip your clothes off in what some people would class as a bout of unresolved sexual tension but it was quickly cut short by the fact that everyone including Pierce was now down to their underwear.” Abed added, cutting another segment of the Jeff and Annie show short as Jeff leaned back and pulled a puzzled face at his use of wording.

Annie shook her head before using the now-going-cold food on her plate as a welcome distraction. The conversation fizzled out into Pierce’s awful attempts at making a move on Shirley, which then went on to the discussion of her old friend Gary and how they had all been so relieved when he’d moved on.

“He was _nice!_ ” Shirley cooed before giggling, clasping her hands up to her chest.

Annie tried to involve herself within everyone’s chatter, but ever since the brief mention of her losing her pen, an image had kept flashing up in her mind of Jeff; one leg crossed as he sat opposite her, gazing off as Troy began his storytelling. He’d slowly turned to smile at her. Those very same creases around his eyes scrunching up as his lips slowly curled, drawing an even greater expression from herself at the time.

Her mind then drifted off to Shirley and how the group had discovered her pregnancy test, which then sent her mind spiralling off down memory lane… the way Jeff had shot his head around to face her as soon as Shirley had blurted out the news over lunch one day. The same day in which she’d put her foot down for the very first time when it came to her relationship with him… whatever the definition of it was.

She sat quietly, picking at her food with a fork, her appetite now out the window. She took a few shaky breaths out of her mouth as everyone finished up.

It wasn’t so much about Jeff, but how every story somehow connected like a jigsaw puzzle. Every memory she had with Shirley bringing up emotions and feelings that she’d been trying so hard to avoid.

Without anyone really noticing, she slipped out of her chair and started pulling away the dirty plates from the table, smiling as she passed by. Abed was now discussing whether they should play a game and if so, what, somehow reminding Britta of an experience she’d once had in New York which emitted a groan from everyone else and a disapproving shake of the head from Shirley at the mention of weed.

Annie started on the dishes, realising that everyone was in a world of their own. She often used cleaning as a stress relieving outlet… there was something calming about how you could scrub away dirt and stains to leave a clear slate. It was almost a reflection of what she wanted to do; she just wanted everything to go back to how it was before it all got messy. But to be honest, she couldn’t even put a pin in when that was.

She decided it was probably around the time when Jeff had started to prepare for graduation. That whole year had been an odd one, most of the school blaming it all on a gas leak, but out of Greendale? Annie had been certain that she hadn’t been imagining things and that it wasn’t all a hallucination.

The smiles, the glances, the hugs that lingered, the ski trip that they never went on. It had all been forgotten as soon as Jeff had signed that piece of paper. Then they’d returned and it was as if she had been some hung-up high schooler, still pining over the guy who she’d kissed in middle school, who had long moved on and had probably made-out with more girls than she could count on her fingers and toes.

She scrubbed aggressively at one of the plates, the water in the sink splashing up the sides, spilling over the edge a little before she placed it on the drying rack, the bubbles popping as they dripped down… they looked like the tears she so badly wanted to pour out, but she knew if she did, everyone would ask questions and the only thing she’d be able to say is that she was going to miss Shirley.

She was of course, going to miss Shirley, particularly because now she would have one less person to escape to when the going got tough. She’d been like an aunty figure; somebody she could rely on to snap her back to reality. Shirley had her soft side, but when Annie needed that little push, she had the ability to switch Annie’s mind-set into a more positive, motivated one.

She’d been there when Annie had decided to make the move back into forensics. Reassuring her that it was okay to change paths even if she’d been focused on another. Sometimes when you’re so focused on what you’ve always believed, you forget to stop and realise what’s really happening in front of you.

* * *

 

It had been a good twenty minutes before anyone had really stopped to notice that Annie hadn’t spoken a word. They’d acknowledged what she was doing, and she’d sent an agreeing nod to the night’s game of choice, but other than that, she’d been busying herself in the background. So, only when he sat down in the living room with a glass of wine in his hand, did Jeff notice something was up.

He watched her over the rim of his glass. Her hair obviously irritating her as she moved back and forth across the kitchen, flicking her neck back every now and then to brush it away from her eyes. A stack full of plates were still waiting to be dried, but she was taking her time, in no obvious rush to get back to the group.

He bit down on his lip, thinking about how whenever he’d been over to dinner before, she’d always left the chores to the last minute, hurrying to get it finished, waving Abed over to speed up the process.

He held his glass in one hand, rubbing his thumb under his eye as Abed sat down beside him, the couch bouncing slightly as the weight shifted. Jeff could feel his gaze burning through the side of him, Abed’s eyes flicking between the kitchen and the couch as Jeff gritted down on his teeth.

Annie was brushing her hair out of her face even more now and all Jeff wanted to do was walk over and scoop it out of the way because at least that would be doing something. It wasn’t the _right_ something, but at least he would be able to release some of her obvious irritation.

Abed was standing back up, walking past Britta and Shirley who were leaning over Britta’s phone to scroll through some pictures. Jeff saw Abed slip into Annie’s room before a tiny string of elastic catapulted into his lap through the door.

Jeff looked down and pouted, shaking his head confusedly as Abed re-entered the room, sitting back down beside him.

“You should go and talk to her. Don’t help her though, she won’t want you to help. I could see that you were watching her hair though, so maybe that can be a topic of conversation.” Jeff turned his head to Abed, raising his eyebrows with a shake before fiddling with the hair tie in his hand.

He blinked a couple of times before settling his wine glass down in front of him, muttering a ‘whatever’ under his breath as he walked away.

Annie was nearly done by the time he was leaning up against the counter, pouting as she blanked his presence. She knew he was there, but she had the kitchen to finish and that was her main priority.

Abed wasn’t watching them any longer now that he too, was huddled around Britta and Shirley. Jeff was thankful for this as he leant his head back against a cabinet, tapping his curled fingers on the counter, wondering if Annie would even look up and appreciate that someone had come to join her.

“Do you need any help?” He risked it, ignoring Abed’s previous comment before moving forward slightly, ready to jump in if she responded.

“No, I’m nearly finished.” He clenched his teeth again, watching her as she scrubbed down the surface, brushing any stray crumbs down into the trash can. She was now physically getting irritated by her hair as she pulled it back, the strands around her ears scooping up behind them as she attempted to hold it all in place with the collar of her blouse.

“Here you go.” Jeff leant forward, dangling out the hair tie that he had still been clinging on to. She glanced up at him for the first time, obviously slightly confused by the fact that he was offering exactly what she needed.

“Thanks.” She added before looking away, finally tying everything up into a loose bun on the back of her head. She chucked her cloth back into the sink before tying up the bag that was sat in the trash can, lifting it out carefully, trying not to cause any rips or tears as it slid out of the container.

She marched on past, towards the front door, slipping her feet into a pair of pumps before unlocking the door at the catch.

“I’m just taking this out.” Annie spoke to no one in particular, before turning away, the door clicking close behind her.

Jeff sighed. He knew that taking the trash out wasn’t the only reason for her escape, and that was the part of his brain which was chanting ‘follow her’. Abed obviously agreed with that part, as he looked back to the kitchen, and then to the door, his eyes slightly wider than usual, making it more obvious that he was suggesting to follow through with this idea.

Jeff blew out again before pushing off the counter, quickly throwing Abed a finger before either Britta and Shirley could notice, the door clicking close once again.

* * *

 

When he stood outside, he panicked for a second as she was nowhere to be seen. He checked by the trash cans before looking left and right up and down the street, his eyes catching on her car, a tiny light glowing from inside. He stood forward, peering down to see her sat in the driver’s seat, her head resting on the window.

He tapped his knuckle on the passenger door that was locked up, ignoring the rattle that came from the rest of the car. Annie shot up before slouching back down as she realised it was only him. She took a breath, leaning over to unlock the door before settling back again, looking across the road that was lined with street lights, the moon concealed by clouds.

“What are you doing?” Jeff asked quietly as he sat himself down beside her, leaning back against the head rest, turning to face her, his hands on his thighs.

“Sitting in my car, what does it look like?” She spoke, still looking straight on, a twinge of sadness in her voice that jolted through his veins. He waited for a moment, turning his head forward before speaking again.

“Are you okay?”

His voice was low and gentle as he watched her out of the corner of his eye, her lips twisting into a pout as she rolled her eyes and flicked at a thread on her pants. She liked to call these types of conversations ‘loose thread conversations’ because every time she had one with somebody, it was like their voice became a thread picker and suddenly she had a hole in her clothes to fix.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

He didn’t believe it of course. He saw right through her cracking voice and her quivering lip as she fixated on that single thread that she was extremely tempted to cut with the emergency scissors that were stashed away under the dashboard… but that would mean leaning over Jeff, and she’d rather just stay put if that was the case.

“You’re not.” Jeff added, looking her way again. She sighed and gave in… telling at least part of the truth.

“Okay fine… I’m not. I’m going to miss Shirley and I’m just… in shock that she’s leaving, I guess. I act happy all the time but I’m still allowed to be upset, right?” Annie had sat up a little, using the hand she’d been resting against the window as a way of expressing herself, waving it a little in the air.

Jeff was still watching her intently, nodding a little as she spoke. It was true; he knew it was an act sometimes… just to keep things looking positive, and honestly he thanked her for it. She was always a ray of hope when he needed it most.

“Yeah… I’m gonna’ miss her too.” He agreed before looking out in front, squinting to make out what the bumper sticker of the car in front said. He could just make out it to be something along the lines of ‘Save The Dolphins’.

“She helped me… she made me realise that you can still go out and live a serious life but still have fun with it. She cut me out on my crap… I guess she kept me grounded or whatever. I don’t always agree with her but I guess that’s what you need sometimes. You need someone to just give their opinion and be done with it. You don’t have to agree and you don’t have to listen, you just have to… acknowledge things.”

Jeff didn’t know where he was going with his monologue, but it helped bridge a gap as they sat in silence. He dared a glance up to the apartment window, relieved that nobody was watching them from afar.

Annie didn’t respond but he realised there probably wasn’t much for her to say. He took a breath before speaking once more, a gulp rippling down his throat.

“I’m sorry.”

He watched as she looked up to the roof of the car, raising her eyebrows as a slight cue to carry on, whether it was intentional or not, he didn’t know.

“I’m sorry I screwed things up… I know it might not make sense as to why I’m telling you this but I think you might know why. You were honest with me… you did what someone does when they care for somebody and I did the exact opposite. I made a mistake because that’s what I do… I make bad decisions when I’m not thinking straight.”

Annie drew a shaky breath, looking the opposite way as her eyes glazed over. She knew what he was talking about, and she was grateful for the fact that he was finally opening up, but the fact that he was still beating around the brush, still made everything feel lopsided.

What did it mean that he was telling her this? That’s the vital question that needed to be answered… she just couldn’t bring herself to ask it, because if she’d learnt anything from previous experiences, it was that he’d probably run out and leave her to puzzle even more together. It was just an endless game that she was tired of, and maybe, he was tired of it too.

Maybe this was Jeff being honest for a change. Maybe she just had to accept it for what it was and move on… see what happens. Because if it meant nothing, then that’s what would happen… nothing; right?

“I want to make things right… I want us to be okay… and I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen… if you’ll let me?” His eyebrows twitched upwards as he asked, every word coming out sincerely. She finally looked him in the eye, forcing out a wonky pouted smile as she nodded, the movement barely noticeable.

“You were right you know.” Annie flicked between his eyes, wondering what he was talking about.

“Me and Britta wold be terrible together. We’d end up cutting each other’s heads off with the kitchen knives.” _Of course he had to remember everything I said that day,_ Annie thought to herself as she looked away shyly, a tiny bit of a smile creeping up on her lips as Jeff smiled back at the thought, before spinning his head around to see a certain aforementioned Britta at the window, rattling her knuckle against the glass, her voice being morphed as she spoke from the outside.

“Hey you two, what are you doing in there?” She asked, pressing her hands up against the window. The glass dropped a little making Annie roll her eyes at the fact she still didn’t have a new car.

“We’re having a moment.” Jeff admitted, tilting his head.

“What are you gonna’ do, make-out or something?” Both Jeff and Annie cringed at this, making Jeff scrunch up his face. As much as he was dying to do that at some point, it was hardly the right time to make a move.

“Not that kind of moment, weirdo.” He unclicked the door, getting ready to stand up out of the car.

“Whatever. Shirley’s waiting for you by the way… she has to get back soon.”

The sudden reminder that Annie had left Shirley’s _farewell_ party made her bolt out of her seat.

“Oh my gosh, _Shirley!_ I feel terrible.” Annie squeaked before brushing past both Jeff and Britta, straight through the apartment block door, running as fast as she could up the stairs without tripping.

“ _A moment?_ ” Britta snorted at Jeff as he grabbed the keys from Annie’s car to lock it up.

“Don’t say anything.”

“Okay guy who has _moments_ with Annie.” Britta laughed and pointed as he stormed on by, stomping against each step of the stairwell as he returned to find Shirley and Annie in an embrace. Britta soon saddled up to the side of him as he watched along the side lines. She opened her lips to speak but was soon shut up by a hand over her mouth.

“I will strangle you.”


	4. Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff inspects his thumbs.

Jeff wondered into the study room, recognising the fact that it was the first time they would all be meeting without Shirley. She was now in Atlanta getting ready to work as a private chef on top of caring for her father, her kids still back at home with Andre. The past few days had been a whirlwind with her leaving, a new week at Greendale hardly giving them a chance to take it all in.

He pouted at the chair that would now be empty, not realising his eyes were drifting over to the chair to the right, his thoughts on Annie and how they’d hugged goodbye after wishing Shirley well. It had been a private moment as the others stood in the hallway outside, leaving himself and Annie on their own for a few moments.

He’d rested his head on the crown of her hair, the bun she’d tied earlier on, loose enough to fall out with a single movement. He’d watched her, waiting for her eyelashes to flicker shut as she pressed her cheek to his chest. She’d taken a little longer than usual to adjust to the embrace, but a few seconds later she was wrapping her arms up around him and accepting the small kiss on her hairline.

Jeff had closed his own eyes, inhaling the scent of freshly washed hair that seemed to be a mix of something floral and fruity, but he couldn’t quite name it. There was also a hint of something warmer, something deeper and richer… something comforting; the type of smell that you’d find on a blanket that had been used time and time again.

“What are you doing here early?” Britta asked as she joined him, slamming down in her seat rather too enthusiastically.

“Hmm? Oh, err, I had nothing else to do so I just made myself comfortable. What are _you_ doing here early and… what the _hell_ is that?” Jeff grinned in amusement as he took in her outfit. It was a combination of a brown polo shirt and a pair of jeans that looked fairly normal, but was rather unlike Britta.

“It’s my Shirley’s Sandwiches uniform. Don’t look at me like that.” Jeff found himself snorting now, sniggering into his hand.

“So what are you like a waitress now or something?”

“I’m a bar tender who will now be occasionally tending to sandwiches too… Shirley asked me if I would whilst she’s away.” Jeff nodded at this before saying a quick hello to Abed who had joined them. He gazed at Shirley’s chair before looking back at Jeff and Britta, ready to join in with whatever conversation they were having.

“Sorry I’m late, my class ran over time but it’s fine because you’re all here except from Chang.” Annie babbled on from behind Jeff as she entered the room, her binder clasped in hand as she swung down into her chair.

It suddenly dawned on Jeff that she was wearing the exact same outfit as Britta, apart from a more form fitting pair of pants. He slowly looked over to Britta, folding in his bottom lip as she tilted her head, awaiting his response.

“You both look spec _tac_ ular in your uniforms.” Jeff turned to smile at both of them… Britta of course noticing how the smile for Annie was as always, just that tiny bit wider as she faced him. She rolled her eyes and picked at something on the table as Chang made himself comfortable.

“It’s weird sitting over here on my own… you’re all over on that side… I’m _lonely._ ” Annie pouted a little as she looked down at Shirley’s former chair, glancing around at everyone with a glum expression on her face.

“Chang could move, so then it would only be Jeff who’s singled out at the head of the table.” Abed pointed out, making Annie nod slowly, acknowledging the piece of information without acting upon it.

“That’s a _great_ idea. Chang, move.” Jeff motioned a finger threw the air, avoiding Annie who was now glaring at him. He eventually did look back at her, tilting his head smugly as he crossed his arms over.

“Sure, I’ll move.” Chang proceeded in joining her, making Annie shift a little as he sat down.

“Edison.”

“Benjamin.” Annie looked back over at Jeff who had an even wider grin on his face as he sat watching the ~~chang~~ change unfurl.

“Do you know what? Abed’s right, this will be fine… it will be a good change and _Jeff_ will be the only one sat all on his lonesome.”

“I’m not on my lonesome, I’m sat next to Britta. Technically, unless someone else joins this group, _which they won’t,_ there’s no way I _can’t_ be alone at the end of the table. _Plus,_ it means I can do _this_ at any one moment.” Jeff swung his legs up onto the table, his feet just mere inches away from Annie.

“Ew, gross.” Annie swatted at them before he finally gave in, sitting up as Annie explained what needed to be done around the cigarette of a school that was ever so slightly morphing into a carrot stick.

Since the last meeting before Shirley’s departure, she was now glancing over at him more often and was genuinely listening to his suggestions, which Jeff took as a good sign. Unfortunately, she still wasn’t jumping to work with him, hence the reason he was only on flyer duty; taking down old ones, putting up new ones.

The Greendale campus was a lot bigger when you walked around it as a whole, so he took note if he ever needed to waste sometime between his classes. Although, playing Bejewelled still sounded a whole lot more appealing especially when his other hand was occupied with a glass of scotch.

By the time he was back to the quad, it was already lunch time so he took to the cafeteria, spotting Annie out of the corner of his eye as he picked up a tray from a stack that looked like it was ready to topple over.

She was standing behind the Shirley’s Sandwiches counter, tapping her fingers rhythmically as her eyes traced the lines of a sheet in front of her. _Of course_ , she was multitasking… reading her notes whilst running a sandwich shop.

He took a while longer picking up a tray to admire her from afar, her hair falling down in front of her face in soft loose curls that had been a welcome change over the past year or so. He glanced up at the menu, checked his pocket for his wallet, and casually brushed up to the side of the counter.

He stood for a few moments, looking around as she carried on reading, that little crease between her brow defining itself as she brought her thumb up to her lips.

“You know, I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that Shirley’s Sandwiches is known for its great customer service.”

She jumped back, letting out a small ‘hmm’ before shaking her head.

“Hmm? Sorry, I was just…” she paused, waving a finger over her reading material, “…you know the mac n’ cheese is over there, right?” Annie nodded towards the other side of the canteen, Jeff’s eyes following along like a dog.

“Meh.” He shrugged before looking up behind her, re-reading the list, knowing Shirley would be offended by the fact he couldn’t memorise all of the names by now. As he decided, Annie returned to reading, rolling her eyes at the fact that he was actually going to order something rather than walk over to the canteen and be served something for free. It still surprised her that he even touched mac n’ cheese. Her presumption was that it was comfort food… maybe his mom used to make it for him; she tried not to think about it in great detail.

“I’ll get a Veggie Medley Wrap.” Annie turned around and sighed before checking the fridge to see if there were any pre-made wraps. After a minute, Jeff caught onto the fact that there were indeed no wraps ready to go, so he leant back on his foot, waiting for her to finish.

“You can sit down you know; I can bring it out.” Annie spoke, her back turned to him as she tore open a pack of fresh wraps.

“I have to go back to my office anyway, so I’ll wait.”

She was now spreading some form of sauce over the wrap, filling it in with straight lines of lettuce and peppers.

“Plain whorl… ulnar loops… and tented arches?” Jeff was leaning over the counter now, reading Annie’s paper upside down, the angle of his twisted neck amusing her a little as she realised what he was talking about.

“Oh, I’m going over some of my old notes… that’s all about fingerprints.”

“What are mine?” He held up his thumbs, flicking them in the air a little as she carried on finishing up the vegetable wrap he was patiently waiting for. She looked up briefly to see what he was doing.

“I can’t tell from that… you’d have to take a print.”

“Surely you can? Even I can work out some details.”

“Okay then, read the information and learn about it… but I’m telling you, there are way too many folds and creases to read things accurately.” She was folding some paper around the wrap now, just catching Jeff nab her sheet of paper, out of the corner of her eye.

“Here you go… I still have no idea why you ordered this. There’s one of your favourite meals being served over there and you wouldn’t even need to pay.” She wiped a tiny bit of sauce from her finger, her tongue poking out before shooting back in again; the action doing far more to him than he would like to admit.

“I can probably grab some left-overs tomorrow. It’s always better the second day anyway. By the way, I’ll also have a handful of cookies.” Jeff added, nodding towards the other side of the counter where a selection of white chocolate cookies lay piled on top of each other.

“Okay, now you’re really confusing me. Are you having a ‘treat day’?” Annie asked, slipping five small rounds of doughy goodness into a branded paper bag before sliding it onto his tray besides the wrap.

“No, I’m just hungry. I ordered the veggie one because I know you can’t handle pork… also, I’m pretty sure I have a ‘central pocket loop’.” Jeff pointed to the sheet of paper in his hand, passing it back to her so he could pull out some cash. Three people had ordered pork included items from the menu today already… luckily the ham sandwiches were ready to go in the fridge, but there was something about the way he stated the fact that sent a shiver up her spine… it was just how easily he’d mentioned it; like he always thought about these things.

“Ten dollars. Keep the change.” Annie rolled her eyes again (another expression he’d started to notice her doing fairly often), taking the bill from his hand to slide it into the register.

“I noticed that’s a sticker by the way.” Jeff nodded his head towards the screen, the corner of which was peeling up at the edges.

“Don’t look at me! Shirley owns this place.” Jeff laughed before picking up his tray and walking off. Annie was about to return to her note reading when she noticed a paper bag laying on the counter top; five white chocolate cookies still inside.

“You forgot your cookies!” She called out just in time before Jeff wondered into the student lounge.

“They’re for you!” He called back, turning to face her, managing to walk backwards all at the same time.

“I get them for free?” Annie pointed out, making Jeff’s eyes bulge.

“You take stock? How dare you!”

“Shirley said I could…”

“If you worked at the Apple store, would you take the computers home with you?”

“Wha… wh… why are they for me?”

Jeff shrugged. Honestly, he wasn’t quite sure what had compelled him to buy them for her… maybe just the fact that she was working when she had more pressing matters like her forensics work to finish, or maybe it was just the fact he wanted them to get along, so buying her something might win her over. Or maybe, it was both.

“A gift. Enjoy them.”

When she took her first bite ten minutes later, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it tasted slightly sweeter than usual… and she couldn’t shake the added feeling that it was only because of _him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A filler chapter, if I'm quite honest with you.)


	5. Couch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abed and Britta make a bet whilst Jeff snores.

“Hey, how come there’s no committee meeting today?”

Jeff slid into the cafeteria next to Abed where he was sat opposite Britta, an orange juice box in hand. Jeff pulled out his phone and checked for any messages he might have missed as they emptied their mouths to speak.

“Annie didn’t come in today because she’s sick.” Britta finally answered before slouching back to let her food go down properly. Abed was also leaning back, smiling slightly as he watched Jeff take in the Annie-related piece of information.

“Oh… how bad? What’s wrong with her?” Jeff didn’t look up but his tone still made Britta shake her head and snort as she too started to watch him react to the news.

“She said she had some sort of virus. She was sick three times last night and didn’t leave the bathroom for two hours.” Jeff finally lifted his gaze from his phone to listen to Abed retelling the unpleasant happenings of the previous night (or morning… seeing as Annie had been awake for almost as long as both Abed and Britta had been asleep).

“So what, you just left her in the apartment?”

“Oh my god Jeff. She’s twenty-four, she can deal with being sick on her own.” Britta joined in, pulling out her own phone as if to say she wasn’t getting too involved with whatever plan he was conjuring up in his mind.

“I didn’t _say_ that… but if she’s puking up all the time I doubt she’d want to be alone.”

“She’d said she’d be fine.”

“Yeah well a lot of the time when people _say_ they’ll be fine; they usually end up _not_ being fine. Plus, she’s your _friend_ and your roommate.”

“Well, what do you want me to do about it? I was showing Todd and Garrett the ropes of Shirley’s Sandwiches…” Britta pointed over to the stall where Todd was standing, Garrett nowhere to be seen but the shrieks coming from the back door suggested he wasn’t far.

“Abed, what’s your excuse?” Jeff asked, turning to face Abed who’d been quietly analysing the conversation.

“Annie said she’d be fine, so I took it as the truth because with Annie, she usually is fine. I also had to finish up the short film I’ve been working on because I want to start sending it off to people. Annie knows that, so she let me go.”

Jeff bit down on his lip, tapping his phone against his knee without thinking, looking up at Britta through his lashes as tried to resist the urge to flee. Instead he walked away to grab a tray, asking for a plate to be filled up with greens and a couple of meatballs before returning to the table, adding to Abed and Britta’s conversation every now and again.

Once he’d finished, he gulped down some water from Abed’s unopened bottle (throwing him a few coins to get a new one from the vending machine) and left, brushing past students who milled around the cafeteria entrance.

“Do you want to go and see if he’s in his office?” Britta nodded her head back a few minutes later, receiving an agreeing nod from Abed in return. They scurried off down the hallway together, knowing that Jeff would be nowhere to be found.

They did however, find a student standing outside his office ready to knock on the door.

“Hey… have you seen Mr Winger anywhere? My paper’s going to be late if I don’t hand it into him today…” The student waved a folder in his hand, looking between Abed and Britta who were smiling smugly.

“Nope… but we’re pretty sure he just went off campus. I can give it to him if you want.” Britta held out a hand as the guy unclipped a few sheets from his folder and left it with her, trustingly.

“Cool… thanks… but if you lose it, do you think he’ll believe my dog ate my homework because that’s my only copy.”

“I won’t lose it, but I think he’ll let it slide if I did. I’m surprised he’s giving you papers to do anyway.”

“Yeah, he’s really picked it up this semester… he’s actually a really great professor.” The student pushed his glasses up his nose before setting off, leaving Britta to look up at Abed suspiciously.

“Hmm… is the reason for Jeff improving, the same reason you have in your head as I have in mine?”

Abed slowly turned to face her before smiling, humming whilst nodding as they watched the glasses wearing student walk away down the hall.

“Do we go home early, or do we give them some time?”

“The likeliest of scenarios is that Jeff will fall asleep by her side or he’ll fall asleep on the couch, both of which require time… so we should finish our classes, go back, have you hand over that person’s paper and watch Jeff stumble through making an excuse as to why he was at our apartment for so long.”

“Twenty dollars for her room?” Britta held out her spare hand for shaking.

“Hmm… I don’t usually make bets for money, but both are very likely scenarios so… deal. Although I’d prefer ten dollars because if we want to make this quick and snappy, I have a bill in back pocket.”

“Deal! I was hoping you’d do that because twenty dollars is _way_ too much for me to throw away. Plus, if Annie finds out I’ve been making bets on her and Jeff, I won’t hear the last of the fact I still haven’t paid my rent.” Britta shook his hand violently before spinning around on her heels.

Abed pushed forward in the other direction, towards a vending machine around the corner. He weaved the coins that Jeff had pushed onto his tray through his fingers. After he’d punched in the number, a packet of Let’s pretzels dropped into the pull out drawer below.

He ripped the bag open as he walked passed a few cabinets, stopping to check inside a wooden and glass frame that he knew was home to a very specific newspaper clipping. He scrunched up his brow as he looked inside, finding only a debate trophy sat sadly inside, cobwebs curling around his handles.

He dashed back around the corner and peered through as much of the blind he could to see inside Jeff’s office, scanning the desk only to find a bottle of scotch and a few pens lying around along with some pieces of law themed decorations.

Something caught his eye on the wall though.  
The newspaper clipping that used to be positioned alongside the dusty debate trophy, was now hung on the centre of Jeff’s wall; his Greendale graduation certificate pushed away to the side, concealed by the dark shadows that poured into the room.

Abed stood back, reaching his fingers into the pretzel bag in his hand.

“ _Couch.”_ He whispered to himself, before taking a crunchy bite.

* * *

 

Annie was crippled over, a hand to her stomach as she coughed, sweaty tendrils of hair clinging to her temples as she manoeuvred her way through the living room. She stopped for a breather just as she heard a knock at the door. She coughed once more before calling out.

“Who… who is it?”

“It’s me… Jeff… can you open up?”

“W-w…what are you doing here? Did… Abed…” Annie paused to breathe again, her head pounding, “…not… tell you I was sick?”

“No, I know, that’s why I’m here. So… let me in.”

“You _really_ don’t want to. You’ll get sick too… you should go Jeff. I’m fine.”

“Well, by the sounds of things, you don’t seem fine. Look if you open up, I got some soup and some other things for you.”

“You… you got me soup?”

“Well, that’s what you’re meant to eat right? That and… toast? I think? Just let me in.”

She really couldn’t think too much about why he was there as she folded over in pain, the nauseous feeling shaking up her whole body, making the headache she had feel ten times worse. Jeff waited outside the door, pushing an ear to it to listen in, hearing a couple of coughs and a creak of the floor as she came closer.

The door pulled open as Annie stood behind it, covering her hand with her mouth as he entered.

“Why are you here? You’re going to get sick.”

“Because, no one else is going to do it, are they?” Jeff looked down at her, squinting a little as he took in her appearance, her face in even paler, her skin looking extra dewy.

“I’m fine on my own… you don’t have to b-.”

“I know, I’m not saying you need me, I’m just saying that… if I was this sick I wouldn’t want to be on my own. If you’ve got people around to keep check on you, you may as well use them.” Jeff was now taking off his coat and settling down a plastic bag on the kitchen counter. He walked over to the windows and opened the up, letting in some more light and fresh air to air the place out a little, before turning around and directing Annie back to her room for her to lie down.

As she settled, he opened up the small polystyrene pot that he’d picked up from a deli in town that he knew would have just the right remedy. Shirley had recommended it to him when he’d been sick himself once before, and he knew she’d be doing just the same for Annie.

He placed it on her side table besides her bed, steam rising above it as he stirred it with a spoon.

“You don’t have to eat it now but you should probably eat something before you drain yourself of all energy. I also got some of these little dissolvable stomach tablets… I thought I’d get dissolvable just in case you don’t like taking normal ones… I don’t know, you’re fine with taking pills these days right?”

She nodded with a cough before attempting to talk, her throat burning up as she did so.

“Yeah… I try not to but… thank you.”

“When was the last time you puked up?” Jeff asked whilst pouring some water into a glass, glancing over at her as she adjusted the pillow behind her head.

“About half an hour ago.”

“Where are you doing it? The bathroom?”

She nodded before taking a deep breath, holding the fizzing glass of water in her hand as the small white disc dissolved into tiny little bubbles, popping and reappearing on the surface.

“Do you have a bucket?”

“A bucket?”

“Yeah… so you can use it. It’ll stop you from having to get up all the time.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“It may be, but it will help, trust me.”

“I don’t know… Jeff, why are you here?” Annie brushed a hand across her face, trying not to breath out so much as he crouched down on his knees so he was closer to her level.

“Because you’re sick.”

“Yeah but I feel a lot better than last night and…” Annie paused again, swallowing down the burning in her mouth as a bead of sweat formed on her brow, “…you don’t need to be here.”

Jeff clenched down on his teeth as he looked up at her. She still looked glowing, but the rosiness to her cheeks was just another sign of her discomfort and it all just reminded him of how quickly he’d dropped things to come and help her. He had classes in the afternoon and papers to mark but in the moment there was nothing more important than making sure Annie recovered and had some company.

So he told the truth.  
Because it was either that or get her even more wound up over the fact that he was here just to be a hero. He wasn’t… he was here to be with _her_.

“You really want to know?”

The shaky breath and gulp she took came across as an answer to a question that was actually rather rhetorical seeing as he was going to tell her anyway.

“Because I care about you… and you’re very important to me. So… if it means I have to take an afternoon off and possibly get sick then… I’ll do it.”

Even with her mind fogging up, the part of her that knew when Jeff was being sincere and honest was still working. Her lips parted as she watched him, not noticing that his hand was now resting on her sheets where her knee bent upwards until she sat forward, feeling a rush of something in her stomach. She waved a hand in the air as she let it pass, letting out a cough as she blinked repeatedly, looking down at the water in her lap that she’d yet to gulp down.

Jeff smiled a little as he looked up at her.

“Good to know me caring about you makes you almost vomit.”

They were both laughing now, Annie’s laugh turning into a pained one as a tear rolled down her cheek. She shook her head and tilted it upwards to blink any new ones away.

“No… I’m sorry… obviously not. But I think _almost_ might be a good way to describe it…” Annie pulled a face as he held down another spurt of pain, her lip quivering as Jeff nodded, getting up to go and find that bucket.

He was back within a couple of moments, a red tub from under the kitchen sink in hand.

“It may be disgusting but honestly now you can just puke whenever you want. I also have a cold flannel and hair tie.”

“What is it with you and hair ties?”

“I guess it’s just my new thing now… should I start keeping some in my pockets for you?”

She tried to huff out a laugh but instead she brought up what she’d been holding down, Jeff’s hands immediately clasping around her hair as she retched forward, letting everything go, her body shaking as Jeff looked away, his face creasing up at the sound.

As she leant forward he attempted to tie up her hair from behind but it ended up just knotting everything together into a scrappy mess, his fingers fumbling around trying to make some sense of the elastic. She sat back up and rested on her pillow once again, trying to avoid Jeff’s face that she knew would be one of repulsion.

“You don’t even want to look at me like this. Seriously, you should go.”

“Well, you definitely look like you just vomited but I think you’re fine to look at… maybe not the bucket by my feet. Not sure I’m ready to look at that just yet… and I’m not going anywhere, and if I do, it will be the couch as you get some sleep.”

Jeff dabbed at her forehead with the flannel, the damp fabric sending chills down her spine. For a second Annie could indulge in his eyes as he stretched over her, the dark rich blue giving her some sense of comfort as he folded up the cloth, laying it over her head, brushing away her hair that he’d very sweetly, attempted to tie up.

She smiled at the thought, making him kneel back down.

“You feeling better?”

She nodded, bringing the cloudy glass of water back into her lap, taking as many sips as she could. If she had to match the taste up with something, it would be the smell and crisp setting of a hospital ward… a slight bitterness to what was basically just plain water.

“You should try and sleep. I’ll be in the other room if you need anything. Don’t forget the soup if you want any.”

He pushed down the urge to press a kiss to her hairline, mainly because it would probably be followed up with questions but also because it would increase the risk of him getting sick by even more, and quite honestly, the idea of getting sick now he’d seen Annie in the midst of it, was really starting to become a concern.

* * *

 

The apartment 303 door clicked open in time with Jeff’s eyes, the dimming light filtering through as he looked around, hearing whispering voices but not seeing their owners as they walked around.

The _they_ being Abed and Britta who were sneaking up behind him. Abed’s ten-dollar bill staying firmly in his back pocket as Britta scooped out her own from her leather jacket hanging on a corner of a chair.

“Dammit.” Britta huffed out under her breath as she passed it over, towering over Jeff as he rubbed a hand over his face.

“How long have you been here?” Britta asked, crossing her arms over as he finally took in the two of them.

“Ugh, I don’t know… what’s the time?”

“Six forty-five. Pretty sure you missed all your classes and… I have a paper from one of your students who was waiting outside your office.” Britta slammed it against his chest as he emitted a tired groan.

“Annie’s in the shower. She said she feels a lot better, so I guess you did do a good job after all.”

Jeff sighed before pushing himself off of the couch, brushing his hands down his face once again.

“Ah… shit. I should go, I have loads of papers to mark and the Dean’s gonna’ kill me for missing my classes.”

Abed and Britta nodded, before splitting up to get on with their own things. Getting out some buttered noodles for Abed; setting up her bed for Britta.

Jeff threw his coat on before pulling the door open, stepping back to call out to them.

“Tell Annie I had to go. Hope she gets better soon.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Britta droned out as he shut the door. Abed joined her again, tilting his head as she stood still.

“He’s trying _way_ too hard to impress her.”

“Mhm.” Abed hummed.

* * *

 

A couple of days later, Annie was back at Greendale on top form, getting things back on track with help from the Dean. As she walked down the hallway she decided to take a quick detour to Jeff’s office as she’d yet to see him since he’d been over, tying up her sweaty hair, leaning over her with those eyes that buried into her and his words that seeped into her every tho-.

“Hey.” Jeff piped up as she dozed off into her thoughts. It was a welcome distraction actually; she was still trying to move on, even if he was opening up to her more than usual.

“Hey… I just thought I’d say hi and thanks for the other day. Luckily it only lasted a couple of days but unfortunately now Britta’s sick… I’m surprised you aren’t actually.”

“Ah, you know me, I’m perfect. I don’t get sick.”

Annie rolled her eyes, causing Jeff to smile as he found himself back in the room with a happy healthy Annie.

“You should probably go see her actually. Maybe bring her some soup…?” Annie pulled in her bottom lip. She’d been wanting to talk to him about this since she’d heard Britta coughing in the bathroom a day or so ago. Jeff could see she was acting a little smug as she stood in front of his desk.

“Why would I… do… that?”

“Hm? Because you know… you care about her? She’s very important to you?” Annie raised her eyebrows and swayed on the spot. She knew exactly what she was doing, so when she turned around, not leaving any time for him to respond to the fact that she now knew one of his deepest secrets (that caring for Annie came before anything else), he found himself shaking his head with a laugh as she scuttled down the hallway.

He _really_ loved that woman.


	6. A Satisfying Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie thinks about Minions, Jeff thinks about her.

When you actually started to work hard at Greendale and actually spend your time _doing_ things, the time seemed to fly by. All of a sudden they were into October and Annie and the Dean were already starting to plan things for Halloween. Jeff could have sworn it was Easter last week… but then again, he was agnostic and he didn’t pay attention to that stuff… well, maybe he did a little, because when Shirley was around, making her happy meant eating her freshly baked goodies, and maybe it had been a little too long since she’d handed out a stack of extra gooey chocolate brownies with those sugar coated eggs on top.

These days, even memories like that came back around to Annie and how Shirley had passed over a particularly overly egg covered slice, which on closer inspection, were dotted out in the shape of a crucifix cross. She’d scoffed and rolled her eyes before picking them out to then press them back down into the melty chocolate, curving them around into a heart.

“Okay so the Dean has really been on my case and has perhaps been getting a little pedantic over getting together the Halloween dance. I know it’s still a couple of weeks away but I need someone to come with me to gather some supplies and decorations, things like that. If anyone’s free this afternoon it shouldn’t take longer than two hours?” Annie shrugged with a half-smile, leaning on the curves of her wrists, the small blue veins popping out slightly from where she’d been frantically writing notes a few minutes before.

Jeff waited a moment to see if anyone was going to react. There were a couple of mumblings from Chang and Abed, a quick glance from her to him from Britta, but that was it. So he tapped his fingers on his lips.

“I’ll come.”

Annie raised her eyebrows before leaning her neck forward.

“ _You’ll_ come? To shop for… _Halloween_ decorations?” He shrugged.

“Yeah, why not?”

“Erm… you’re the person who doesn’t _like_ Halloween? Didn’t you dress up as James Bond last year because you forgot about the whole thing but ‘luckily’ had a suit in your office?”

“James Bond is scary. He kills people for a living.”

“He _protects_ people for a living… the only scary thing about your costume was the accent you attempted to put with it.”

“Ooof. I’d like to see you try.”

“Annie’s British accent isn’t all that terrible. She’s really improved since her first experience in the Dreamatorium.” Abed added. Annie stuck out her chin at this before turning back to Jeff to see if he was still genuinely thinking about joining her on the Greendale Halloween Dance shopping expedition.

“But… you _seriously_ want to come?”

“Sure, why not.”

“Don’t you have classes?”

“Nope. They were all this morning, so unless someone else decides to step in, I guess I’m coming with.” Annie shook her head in disbelief before closing up her binder as everyone else stood up and pushed in their chairs. A group of students were waiting outside the door so they all quickly vacated; Britta, Abed and Chang going one way, Jeff and Annie going the other.

* * *

Somehow Jeff had managed to convince her into giving her a lift to the supply store that she knew would be stocked full to the brim of all the Halloween essentials that the dance would require. It had been a while since she’d organised something a little more fun and easy going, so the idea of perusing through all of the aisles filled her with a buzz she hadn’t felt in a while.

It was silly really, but maybe everything had just been piling up on her, so the idea of doing something for _fun_ seemed more appealing than ever. There was of course the fear that the fun would be ruined with Jeff being around, and _not_ only because he was cynical about holidays and celebrations.

He’d admitted that he cared for her and it had made his reason for apologising on the night of Shirley’s departure make a bit more sense in context. He was probably just picking up on how she was feeling. He was a friend, he was allowed to do that… but then she’d caught him out with Britta being sick and things didn’t match up again.

Their friendship was like an old rusty bike. It got the job done, it was reliable and had that sentimental aspect to it that made you hesitant to finally throw it in a skip, but it had that dodgy chain that would often slip off, and the breaks that didn’t really work so whenever you did press down, you’d often come to a grinding halt and be flung over the handlebars. You need a good helmet on at all times just in case the day you take it out, is the day that things go wrong.

They didn’t say much to one and other on the way there, so perhaps they were both just waiting to step inside the door and use all of the odds and creepy ends as conversation starters.

A few of the items on her list had already been sorted, like the red cups and paper plates that were being sourced by the cafeteria staff as they usually had an overflowing stock of them. The budget she’d been given was mainly going to be spent on rolls and rolls of fake cobwebbing because she knew it was handy for creating a spooky atmosphere.

You could add it to doorways, tables, the ceiling and even to costumes when needed. When Jeff looked over her shoulder from the end of the aisle that the cobwebbing was situated, he gave her a funny look at the amount of packets she was adding to the cart. She would have said something about how vital it was, but she wasn’t sure he’d be that interested. After all, the only thing he’d commented on in the first ten minutes was the poor choice of colourful hair gel and dyes that were near the entrance.

Like it really mattered to him; he wasn’t going to be putting anything under ten dollars in his hair anyway.

* * *

At first he thought he’d just let her do her thing because she usually liked to not be interrupted, but then he realised that she probably wouldn’t have asked for someone to come with her, so he gradually slowed down to her pace and walked alongside the cart, watching his hand so that it didn’t get too close to cause any static between them.

“So… what else do you need?” He asked plainly.

“Erm… let me see…” She stopped to run a finger down the piece of paper in her hand. He noticed there was a staple in the top left hand corner, so he guessed it wasn’t just one-page worth of items, which wasn’t much of a surprise seeing as it was Craig and Annie working together. An obsessive costume wearer and an obsessive organiser… a perfect party planning combination.

“…well, we need a _lot_ more spiders, a few different banners, a couple of decorative signs for the drinks tables… there’s quite a lot more but I guess I’ll just pick them up as I go along.”

He pushed forward at the same time as she did, and for a while they just walked and didn’t talk.

Until they did talk, around aisle 30 when the costumes started to filter in. Annie remembered it specifically because of the way Jeff dropped his bottom lip down as they passed a cut out of a rather skimpy looking woman dressed as a maid.

She had to agree with Britta sometimes; it was a little odd how that was classed a Halloween costume. There was nothing scary about it… but then again, there wasn’t much scary about a kid in a Minion costume. In fact, it was the total opposite of scary. It was adorable.

“Do you know what Abed’s going as? He always has something planned, right? What is it this time?”

“I’m not sure actually… he usually plans it in advance but I think ever since Troy left he’s been easing off of the whole ‘cosplay’ thing. Last year I was meant to be a character from Inspector Spacetime with him, but he didn’t appreciate the fact that my enthusiasm wasn’t at the same level, so that’s why I ended up being a female Willy Wonka. The hat and glasses fit the bill.”

“You looked ridiculous.”

“I did _not…_ it was just the jacket and pants… they were way too big. Anyway, you seriously can’t talk. Let me guess what you’re going as… erm… Ronaldo? Isn’t that his name? The soccer player… always has his shirt off?” Jeff snorted, but it came out as more of a pained cough as a pang of jealousy shot through him.

“What? No… although that’s a great idea. I’m sure you’d love it.”

“I’m not suggesting you take your shirt of Jeff. In fact, I’d suggest the opposite. Why don’t you put some effort in this year?”

“Effort? Annie, have you met me?”

“Oh shut up. If you were that bad, you wouldn’t be here, would you?”

He stuck his tongue to his cheek. She still had no idea.

“Fine, you really want me to put effort in this year? I will. I’ll do it, and you won’t be able to utter a single bad word.”

“Oh, I really want to see this.”

“You will. In fact, I’m going to leave you right now to go and find a costume so awesome, you won’t even recognise me.”

“Great! Have _fun…_ ” Annie’s trailed off in a sing-song voice as he did indeed leave her be. Her thoughts immediately switched to deciding whether or not the punch bowl could do with some fake eye balls, her main concern being that they might be a choking hazard. She could see it now… maybe she’d ask Jeff just in case. He knew law after all.

As she turned down another aisle, she zoned out a little. The cart was slowly filling up, the weight gradually building but not so much that it ached to push it around. It was at that perfect weight where it didn’t make you want to run around wild doing wheelies, but it definitely didn’t make you work up a sweat either. It was keeping her grounded. It was keeping her routed and in place as the wheels rolled along, squeaking every now and then.

She enjoyed the feeling. It was comforting almost. Just gliding it along in front of her, pausing every now and then to reach up on her tippy toes to compare a couple of items before adding in a couple or nothing of whatever item it might be.

As she reached up for those all-important decorative drinks labels, her heart jumped into her throat.

“GAH!”

Jeff jumped out from behind her, clasping his hands over her shoulders, his index fingers just skimming over the top of her sweater’s neckline, the sensation a little tickly; the kind of tickly that lingered for a while, and wouldn’t go away until you scratched it.

“Why… would… you… do… that!” Annie span around, her eyes bulging as she took in the rubbery latex mask that was wobbling around on his face. She couldn’t see his lips, but the way his eyes were creasing up at the corners told her he was grinning from ear to ear, exactly how he did when he was trying to wind her up… which made her smile, which then made her irritated because he’d given her the fright of her life.

She smiled some more because she just couldn’t help herself.

So now they were standing in an aisle, smiling at one and other as Jeff towered over her with Frankenstein obscuring his features.

“You’re going to wear _that_ for Halloween?” He nodded, making the rubber nose wobble even more than it already was. It must have been designed for a literal giant, because the fact that even Jeff couldn’t fill it out was saying something.

“You’re ridiculous. There is _no_ way that you’ll end up wearing that.”

“Why not?” His voice came out distorted and echo-y as he breathed out through the tiny slits in the nose and mouth. She could sense the damp condensation starting to form inside as he chuckled.

“I will you know. I’m going to. This is my costume. All I need is a scraggy old t-shirt, a jacket and some pants, right? Maybe I’ll add some green paint on for the full affect. It’s a crowd pleaser.”

She rolled her eyes before turning back to the cart; feeling his footsteps behind her rather than hearing them.

“You don’t even need to. Your forehead is big enough anyway.” She mumbled, knowing it would cause a reaction.

“Huh! How _dare_ you.” He pushed a finger in to the back of her shoulder blade, pushing deeper until she flinched.

“Maybe I should just screw some nuts in your temples and get it over and done with.” She bit her bottom lip. He prodded again.

“At least all your working out will be put to good use, too. Frankenstein’s shoulders were meant to be pretty huge.”

He didn’t prod this time, in fact he caught up with her and tilted his head. He was still wearing the mask as he looked at her. She had to bite down on her lip again to hold in a laugh.

“Hm… seems like someone’s been paying attention.”

She ignored him for a few moments, noticing the brief silence between them didn’t seem full of tension like usual. She took off her imaginary safety helmet and let her hair flow free behind her. She even imagined him bringing out a hair tie so it wouldn’t get all messy in the wind.

Jeff allowed himself to indulge in his own imagination as they rounded another corner. She picked a couple of items off a shelf again, comparing the two. She held up one to him with a questioning shrug and for a moment he was _there._ He was there where he wanted to be.

He let himself clasp onto the cart, pushing it forward, ignoring Annie as she told him she could do it, and gulped a little when he looked down, blinking slightly longer than usual as he realised the banging on his knee was just where his strides were hitting the edge of basket. It was all in his head, but his head was sometimes better than reality these days.

Annie had rushed on, so he glided down the aisle, pushing one foot onto the bottom of the cart to get a little more speed. He felt ridiculous, but as the cool air whizzed past him, he felt slightly younger than the 40 that had glared back at him at his mom’s house (she’d baked him a tiny cake a few weeks later, two candles burning bright in his face as if to burn it into his eyelids), even if it was just for a second.

He looked over to the shelf on the left, noticing a small gap that created a portal in the aisle. He could see the aisle that they’d already wondered down.

“GAH!”

A plastic devil fork hit his stomach as it slammed through the gap. Luckily the devil behind it (also known as Annie) had timed things perfectly so he wouldn’t have three prongs in his side, but now he came to think about it, having three marks down his side because of Annie didn’t sound all too bad. It was the closest he was going to get to that sort of thing right now, anyway.

 _Right now,_ he thought. _Maybe._

She scurried back to join him, empty handed. The devil fork only being an impulse weapon rather than an impulse purchase.

“Revenge, huh?”

“Yup.” She smiled before giggling behind her hand. He was still wearing the mask.

“Why are you still wearing it?”

He’d thought about taking it off a while ago, seeing as his beard was getting a little hot and irritating and he could feel the chemicals and plastic seeping into his lungs with every damp breath, but he knew there was only one reason why he was putting up with it all.

“Because I want to make you smile.”

Her face instantly dropped, before she turned. In her mind, her hair was dropping out of the ponytail he’d secured in place and the safety helmet was slowly creeping back into view.

 _“Well, that’s stupid…_ ” She whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

“No it’s not.”

She carried on walking, a little quicker than before.

“Halloween’s for scaring people, not making them smile.” Annie thought back to the kids dressed up as Minions. _They’re kids, they’re allowed to…_

“Pretty sure I remember you smiling when you threw that Halloween party for our Spanish class.”

_Yeah, but only because you were the first person to ask me to dance._

“Why would you want to make me smile, anyway?” She was flicking through bags of fake teeth now. The Dean had specifically requested them for some reason… if there were any left over from what he needed, she’d added a small pumpkin ball to the cart, which could sit somewhere near the cafeteria entrance for people to take their own.

“I don’t know… because you have a nice smile… and seeing you happy, makes me happy.”

He hadn’t meant to admit so much in one go, but it was true, so once again, he let it slide. If she was going to find out the whole truth, he’d at least give her something to ease into.

She thought over his words and she couldn’t help but match them up to the same thoughts she’d had before the summer had started. Before everything had shifted. She wanted the same for him, but she also wanted the same for Abed and Britta and everyone else within their close circle of friends, so maybe she needed to focus on the smile part. He liked her smile.

She let the safety helmet slip out of view again. She could feel it there though, hooked over the edge of the handle bar, weighing her down on one side. She wanted so badly for it to slip away and never appear again but she knew how these things worked. It’s exactly what she’d done before with Jeff. She couldn’t let it happen again… she’d try to not let it happen again.

“You’re only saying that because smiles are contagious.”

“Nope, not true. When Chang smiles, I don’t start grinning from ear to ear, I start crying on the inside. But if we’re going to talk about contagious smiles, then at least start with me.”

Annie rolled her eyes as he pulled up the bottom half of ‘his’ mask (he hadn’t even paid for it yet, but she knew his cologne would be fully embedded within every fake pore) but maybe he was right. She was smiling again.

“See, I told you. Works like a charm.”

They were nearing the final aisles which were dedicated to discounts and all of the cheapest Halloween essentials like fake blood tubes for ninety-nine cents that she knew would only cause a _real_ gory effect in the form of a skin rash. 

“Do you know what else works like a charm for most people at Halloween? Cat ears.” He’d put the cart to one side to walk up behind her, sliding a furry headband onto her head, her hair sticking out where it was plopped straight on top.

“Cat ears? Seriously?” She fiddled with one of the ears, looking up at him as she smiled back down at her. His mask was back on properly again, but once again, she could see the lines around his eyes folding upwards.

“Yup. You look… _fan_ tastic.” She poked her tongue out at him before turning around, double checking the final shelves along with her list. She’d somehow crossed off everything, even with all the distractions and that _damn_ contagious smile.

They walked to the check-out together, emptying everything onto the conveyor belt. Jeff finally took off his mask, not noticing that his hair was sticking up in every other direction. She’d only ever seen it out of place a couple of times, like when she used to escape to his apartment when Troy and Abed were having ‘secret’ movie nights together. She’d sometimes go to Britta’s but Jeff never seemed to bother her and everything was a lot cleaner and didn’t have the underlying smell of cat litter and pot.

She didn’t mention his hair though. He didn’t need to know everything.

Annie handed over the Dean’s credit card, pressed in his number and tucked it back in her purse.

“Erm, sorry ma’am but are you going to buy those too?” The check-out guy looked up from her face to her head, making Annie’s ears flinch backwards as she realised she had almost been part of a robbery.

“Yeah, we’ll get it.” Jeff tugged the cat ears off her head, her hair pulling along with it. He resisted the temptation to brush it all back down.

“Jeff, what are you doing?” She asked as he passed over his own card, slipping it back away a few seconds later.

“About to leave. What about you?” He raised his eyebrows before pushing past her, a tiny bag in hand, the corner of the cat ears poking out.

* * *

They were driving back the same way they’d came when Jeff took a right down a smaller road, slowing down slightly as a new flashy building appeared before them. It had a spinning sign in the shape of whipped cream and she was suddenly a bit confused as to why he’d stopped.

“Do you want to get some ice cream?” He asked, making her even more confused.

“Ice cream? Seriously, what is up with your diet recently? Are you sure you’re okay?” She reached a hand out jokingly to press it to his forehead but he swatted it away. He knew the pressure would stay there for days, so he sat back a little to stop her from doing it again. He wanted to feel it, but he knew he’d need to feel it again. It would be a satisfying pain; like wobbling a tooth as a kid.

The most painful thing about being in love with her, was the fact that he _knew_ what it felt like to hold her close, because he’d let himself slip that one time. He knew what it felt like to have his hand in her hair and how it felt to pull her right up against him, their heartbeats pounding against each other, slowly matching up as their breaths became fewer.

A horn beeped from behind him and he suddenly forgot where he was. He was pathetic. Stupidly pathetic like a teenager who was about to take his crush to go and have ice cream. The latter was true, but once again, he was 40. These sorts of things weren’t meant to affect him anymore.

He immediately shook his head and turned into the drive-thru ice cream place that he knew had only recently opened up. He’d in fact already driven through, on that same day his mom had sprung a birthday cake on him. He’d already eaten cake, so ice cream couldn’t do much more damage.

“So… we’re seriously getting ice cream?” Annie asked as she rolled down her window to look at the selection. It wasn’t exactly cold out yet, but she was surprised a place like this was still open.

“Yup. What do you want?”

“Err… hmm…” He watched her decide for a few moments before rolling the car forward a little, ready to lean forward into the microphone. He tapped her arm before nodding his head forward suggestively.

“I haven’t dec-.”

“Two triple chocolate vanilla sundaes, one with all the toppings and one with just whipped cream.”

“That’s great. It’ll be ready at the next window.”

“Wha…? I didn’t even get to decide.”

“I know, because you took too long.” He drove on, stretching out his leg so he could pull out his card again from his back pocket before passing it through the window. Their ice creams were already waiting.

He pulled the cardboard tray onto the dashboard then moved into the tiny parking lot besides the building. Annie was still sat baffled as to what she was doing eating _ice cream_ in _Jeff Winger_ ’s car. The two things together did not match up… at all.

“Here you go.” He passed over the small cup, which was obviously the one with all the toppings… chocolate sauce was running down the side of cream which had tiny nut flakes mixing into the swirls of different flavours. Jeff’s was just simply a swirl of chocolate and vanilla with a fluffy white peak on top.

“Why are we doing this again? I don’t think you answered.”

“I don’t know… you like ice cream, right?” He asked before scooping some cream onto the little green plastic spoon in his hand.

“Yeah… but you don’t…”

“Yeah I do, I just don’t eat it very often. I’ll be working out a little harder tomorrow, that’s all.”

Annie shook her head before looking out the window. She held the cup in her hand but didn’t take a swipe of her spoon until she knew Jeff wasn’t looking. There was something intimate about eating alone together, for some reason.

She finally took her first scoop and hummed into it. It was pretty damn good and it made all of her busy thoughts melt away in an instant.

“Pretty good, right?” Jeff asked, his spoon up to his chin. He had been watching, she’d known it.

“Yup, pretty good. I’m guessing you’ve been here before?”

“Yeah, only once though. I just thought there was no rush to get back… and well, you like ice cream… right?”

She nodded, but her brow pushed inwards. He’d already asked her that. It was like he wanted to know for sure so that he could keep the piece of information locked away for future reference.

“Do you remember when we all thought we were going to get into that history of ice cream class that one year?” She smiled at the thought. Jeff realised that when Annie smiled it was like she was giggling silently. He huffed out a laugh.

“Yeah… that was a _weird_ year.”

“It was… and don’t get any ideas. I have cat ears now so I can’t be your ‘sexy little ring girl’ anymore.”

He grinned. Using ‘cat ears’ and ‘sexy’ in the same sentence was going to make him.

But then they both fell silent, because they were both just thinking the same thing.

They missed it.

They missed everything _before_ things got weird.

Annie had been so sure.

Jeff had been so sure.

In fact, he sometimes thought he was more sure then than he was now, because at least then (before things got weird), he wouldn’t have stopped himself.

And Annie wouldn’t have questioned it. She wouldn’t have asked. She would have _let_ herself.

So they both just sat and ate their ice creams.

Annie was sure the silence was making it melt quicker, because now all that was left was a squishy cold mush. There weren’t even any nuts left.

“I’m sorry that things got weird… I know there was that whole gas leak thing but… I got so caught up in leaving and getting out of here as soon as possible I kind of forgot about everything else.”

She really wished there were still nuts left. It would give her something else to do other than think about reaching out and resting her hand on his as he bounced it on his knee.

He was being honest again… but not the kind of honest he’d learnt over the years to stop himself from lying. He was being _truthly_ honest. He wasn’t doing it to get something out of her, or anyone. He was just doing it. She couldn’t work out why just yet, but maybe she would, eventually.

“I think we should make a pact… me and you.”

“A pact?” She finally looked up from her now empty ice cream cup, glancing over to see Jeff’s which was also empty other than some chocolatey residue.

“Yeah, just me and you.”

“What kind of pact? You do realise that a pact is a _formal_ agreement, right?”

“Okay, an informal agreement then”

“An informal agreement…”

“Let’s get back to what we were doing before… _before_ things got weird. Let’s... misinterpret each other’s text messages… let’s just not think about it. It doesn’t have to mean anything… it can just be for us… whatever that means… I know I kind of messed up the definition of that.”

 _What we were doing before.  
What did that mean? Before what? Before… before… which part wasn’t weird? _ A flash of Jeff tapping a shot glass against hers before smirking popped up in her mind. Her heart fluttered.

“A pact…” She spoke without even meaning to.

“Yeah, so, if it doesn’t work… it doesn’t really matter but it just means we kind of restored something. I don’t know… I just…”

_I don’t know. I just._

“Okay… a pact.” She spoke again, her lips moving, somehow letting out sound without her brain (or heart) really cooperating.

“An ice cream pact.” He tapped his spoon against the paper cup in his hand, leaning his neck against his headrest.

“An ice cream pact? What does that mean?” Her smile was back, but he knew it was mainly because he was now just speaking nonsense.

“I have no idea; I just think we should agree on something.”

“Is this like some sort of blood oath? But a blood oath where no blood is being… oathed, and neither of us know what the hell we’re on about?”

Jeff nodded, his lips curling up again.

“And if all else fails, you can still be my sexy little cat girl.” Jeff grabbed the bag from the back seat before slipping on her cat ears.

“It’s already going to fail if you say that.”

“Worth a shot.”

* * *

He drove them back to campus and when they smiled goodbye and said they’d see each other later, Annie walked away like she had a secret zipped up inside. A secret that was locked up and the only person who could open it back up again was Jeff.

 _An ice cream pact… to get things back to normal… whatever the definition of normal is,_ Annie repeated over and over. She eventually started to repeat it without the word ‘ice cream’ because that wasn’t totally necessary.

They were going to define _normal_ again. It could mean nothing and it could mean everything. So she kept the safety helmet flickering away on her handlebar, just in case she needed to grab it. She wasn’t going to let herself fall, and she wasn’t going to let herself put it back on either. She’d stay upright and the rust would start to fade away. _That_ would be the new normal.

When Jeff had walked away though, his secret was something that had happened way before the silly little ice cream pact had even crossed his mind. _His_ secret vibrated through his shins and up into his kneecaps as he walked.

Whilst he’d been pushing the cart with Annie by his side, he could have sworn he’d felt two tiny feet, swinging and kicking at his legs.


	7. An Unhealthy Habit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff thinks about Chang and babies, whilst Annie does some painting.

“What are you going as for the Halloween dance then, Annie?” Britta asked as she kicked her feet up on the table, receiving a glare in return as Annie got up to clear away the dishes.

“I don’t know… I know it’s only in two days but I’ve hardly had the chance to think about it whilst actually _organising_ the whole ordeal… I knew the Dean liked to plan parties but I never knew _how_ much he liked to plan parties, so my costume’s been left until the last minute.”

“Huh, how very _un-_ Annie of you.”

“I know, I know! I have cat ears though so I guess that’s _something_ to work with.”

“Ugh, cat ears? Really Annie? I thought you were better than that. Seriously, cat ears are just a way of appealing to men and their weird fetishes and filthy minds. Give them something to be scared of. Scary can still be sexy, you just have to prove it to them.”

“I thought you were _against_ proving to men you can be sexy? Didn’t you just contradict everything you just said?” Britta squinted and tilted her head to mull things over.

“No… I _am_ against proving yourself to be sexy for men, because the only person you should be proving your sexiness to is yourself… what I mean is, us women don’t have to dress up as cats and maids to show that we _can_ be sexy. We can dress up as soulless zombies and still be attractive, because if _we_ think we’re attractive, then we _are_ attractive.” Annie raised her eyebrow questioningly as she paused mid-plate scrubbing.

“Shut up, I know what I’m talking about.”

“I didn’t… say… anything…? But what does it matter… Jeff’s the one who bought me the cat ears so it’s not like I’m going to playing out anything he has in mind. I’m actually thinking about going as an Aristocat… Berlioz, I think his name is.” Britta’s eyes widened as she sat upright, clinging onto Annie’s every word after she mentioned ‘Jeff’.

“ _Jeff_ bought you _cat_ ears?”

“Yeah…” Annie trailed off as he looked over towards Britta, “…it’s not like I wanted him to. I was wearing them around the store the other week and I almost walked out without paying for them so technically Jeff was saving me from a felony.”

“Hmm…”

“What do you mean, ‘hmm’?”

“I’m just saying… you shouldn’t wear them just because Jeff wasted a couple of bucks.”

“I’m not going to wear them _for_ Jeff _,_ Britta… like I said, I’m probably going as an Aristocat so I really don’t think you need to worry. What are you going as?”

Britta rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue to the inside of her cheek whilst crossing over her arms.

“The bar is having a ‘Freaky Friday’ so I have to dress up as a vampire and have ‘Terrifying Tummy Tuesday’ at the end of the week instead… _luckily,_ I have the last shift so I only have to tend to the last few strays.”

“ _Britta…_ you should really get a new job if you’re still lowering to below your personal standards and beliefs. You can’t tell me not to wear cat ears if you’re having drunk guys slurp shots out of your belly button.” Annie’s voice came over like a whine to Britta, causing her to slouch back down in her chair, resting her cheek in her hand.

“ _Annie_ … I have to make a living somehow… and you can’t talk, you barely have a job.”

“I have a _part_ -time job doing something I _want_ to do. But you’re right, I really shouldn’t push for you to quit because you _still_ haven’t paid your rent.”

“I’m working on it, okay?”

“You’ve been saying that for the past month. What are you even spending it all on, anyway?”

“…Chomsky had to have a serious… surgery… last month, so I’m… broke?” Britta shrugged unconvincingly as she added up words one by one. Annie rolled her eyes again, a small smile reaching her lips at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Well, let me know if you need any help with your vampire make-up anyway. Seeing as I won’t have time to put together an Abed standard cosplay for myself, I guess I could help put together yours.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” Britta waved a hand in her hair before scratching the back of her head.

“Where is Abed, anyway?” She asked as Annie started on clearing up the living room, hanging her coat up on a hook.

“Oh there’s a filmmaker’s club he joined this summer in Denver. They show each other what they’ve been working on… give feedback, share tips and things like that. I think it’s been really good for him. He’s been stepping out of his shell a little bit recently… I think he’s starting to think about actually putting all of his talent into something more substantial. This next year could be really good for Abed. I’m proud of him.” Annie smiled as she dusted a frame of him on the wall. It wobbled a little so she straightened it before moving onto the next.

“Huh. You’ve been working up to get ready for internships; Abed’s moving up in the world… Jeff’s stepping up his game. Damn, maybe you are right? What am I doing at this stupid bar?” Britta scuffed at the floor as Annie looked over her shoulder, her brows raising in concern.

“I thought you were doing well with your major? And you took on that Russian girl for a few therapy sessions… right?”

“She didn’t realise it was a therapy session… she thought I was summoning her dead parents from the grave and after three failed attempts of trying to explain, she ran away. So now every time I pass her in the hallways, she gives me this stare that rips into the core of my heart and gives me shivers for the rest of the day. I guess she thinks I’m a demon because I couldn’t speak to them or something. I think _I_ need therapy now.”

“Weren’t you meant to be working with Professor Duncan on a psychological study of some description?”

“I _was,_ but then he went back to England again because I think his mother finally kicked it in and the guilt drove him back for the funeral. He’s probably over there drinking tea and having lunch at Buckingham Palace or whatever they do over there.” Annie paused again to pull a confused face as she hovered over the TV with a cloth.

“Hmm, pretty sure you can’t just pop over to see the Queen for lunch, Britta.”

“Meh, whatever.”

Her tone made Annie sigh. So she stopped with the cleaning that she was almost finished with, walked over to the table and pulled out a chair besides Britta.

“Just… think about it. Don’t keep doing something if it isn’t making you happy… even if it is keeping ‘Chomsky’ alive,” Annie used air quotations with a smirk before continuing, “because… it just won’t be worth it. I’ve learnt the hard way; trust me. And… don’t worry about the rent. What am I gonna’ do? Sure I could use a little help if I _am_ going to try for these internships next year but… it’s fine. Neither me nor Abed is going to leave you in the dark… and I know Jeff wouldn’t either. I’m not trying to be condescending but… I care about you Britta.

I’m your friend… and even if sometimes it hasn’t always felt like it, you really are a sister to me. Seeing you happy, makes me happy.” Annie remembered Jeff’s words and how they rang true for everyone else. She took a breath before pushing out of her chair again to pull Britta in for a hug.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

“Girls?” Annie raised her eyebrow whilst holding out a fist, her lip quivering as she held down a laugh.

“Girls.” Britta chimed, knocking her own knuckle against Annie’s hand before brushing past towards the bathroom.

Annie flicked away a few stray crumbs on the table before bringing her phone out of her pocket to search for some pictures of Berlioz. He was a boy cat, but at least that would make Britta happy of something; breaking gender rules whilst wearing cat ears. It was doable.

* * *

 

Students were starting to filter into the Halloween dance. The cafeteria was decked out with all of the decorations Annie had picked up with Jeff, and then some, with giant spiders creeping up the walls, spider webs encasing the two pillars that had been put up ever since the frisbee induced collapse before the semester had begun and eyeballs lingering within all the food and beverages (Jeff had assured her they were far too large for any sane person to mistake them for something edible).

It usually took an hour or so until Greendale events really started going due to the fact alcohol couldn’t be consumed _during_ , so often people consumed it _before_ in the form of their own individual parties, so it wasn’t a total disaster that Annie was still putting up some finishing touches as people gathered in small groups. As she stepped off a small step ladder, pushing it behind a cafeteria counter, she felt a buzz in her back pocket.

Jeff: _Need urgent costume help. In my office. Thx_ _J_

Annie shook her head before dashing through a fresh wave of party goers, dodging in and out as she typed away, trying not to cause any inappropriate typos as she went.

Annie: _I’m coming!_

She pushed through the doors and slowed her pace a little as the library steps drew closer. She pushed through another couple of doors, turned right and knocked on his door, unsure of what she would find inside.

“What’s the… ‘urgent costume’ emergency?” Annie asked as she stepped in, reading off her phone before looking up. She felt her eyelashes flicker as she instinctively dropped her eyes to Jeff’s torso that was on full open display. She quickly covered her tracks by looking at the green tube that lay next to him that he was now taking in his hands to shake in the air.

“Paint me?”

She took a breath and a step forward before sliding her phone and hand in to her back pocket, keeping it there as if it would steady her like an anchor as she realised that in her current state of mind of fuzzy Halloween planning stress and trying-to-push-down-what-I-ever-used-to-feel-for-Jeff-feelings, this probably wasn’t the best situation to be in. The door closing on its own accord made that fact even clearer as she flinched her neck forward.

“Sure.” She nodded slowly, biting down on her lip as she realised there was no turning back. She could turn off her feelings for Jeff by a slight degree because wherever she went with them, she usually found herself at a dead end, but when it came to her attraction for him… it was like the road went on forever. You can’t just _turn_ off finding something attractive and good looking… plus, there would be no point really; it would be like blocking out sunflowers and hydrangeas and cute looking puppies on the sidewalk… you’d be missing out on an awful lot of greatness.

He had attempted to sponge himself with green body paint already, hence the green tinge around the hairline at the back of his neck, but it had ended up patchy and he couldn’t quite reach far enough to give off the full Frankenstein effect, so he’d messaged Annie at the last minute (or last second really, as music started to filter through campus) and pushed down any thoughts about her hands being on his shoulders.

The only reason she’d come to mind first was because she was good with this kind of thing. Paint. Crafts. Costumes. All of the things he was hopeless at. It had nothing to do with the potential of her standing close and fumbling around with delicate fingers as he perched on the edge of his desk wearing nothing but a pair of chinos and boots.

“I attempted a little bit at the back but I presumed you could probably do a better job.” He scratched at his neck, ignoring the goose bumps that had started to form as Annie had edged nearer, twisting the tube of paint around in her hand.

“You’ve allergy tested this, right?”

“Yeah… and it was the most expensive in the store so it’s gotta’ be good, right?” For once she actually found herself agreeing.

“Oh, and look at that, you came prepared with tools.” She picked up a sponge that was sat beside him before dipping it into a glass of water that was either there for drinking or there for the exact purpose she had started to use it for.

“Okay.” She huffed out before stepping closer. They made eye contact for a split second before she turned and leant a hand against his neck. It was cool against his skin, but she had obviously been working herself up whilst preparing herself for the party because her fingers had that underlying heat like her body couldn’t make up its mind whether it wanted to be hot or cold.

She padded the sponge behind his ear as he tilted his head, obviously testing the consistency as she pouted a little, dipping the sponge into the water before squeezing some more green gloop onto it too. He was looking the opposite way as she worked in silence, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see a slither of red poking out from the collar of her hoodie that she had over the top of her outfit.

Whatever she was wearing underneath, consisted of black jeans and black flats which seemed to have tiny cat ears poking out of them… he smirked with the left of his lips so she couldn’t see, as he thought back to their shopping trip. _She must be waiting to put the ears on…_

“So… where’s your costume?” He asked, his voice vibrating against her hand, making her shift her weight a little as she stood.

“I’m wearing it.”

“Doesn’t look very scary.”

“I thought you said you were wearing your costume to make me smile?”

“And I thought you said costumes should be scary.”

“Yeah well, I guess I didn’t think you’d actually go ahead with this.” He could feel the warmth of the breath against his ear now as she built up a smooth, patchless layer of paint on his shoulder. His eyelids fluttered close with the sensation.

“I don’t break promises.”

“Not sure we ever made a promise.”

“We made a pact.”

“That involves Halloween costumes now?”

“It’s all part of the ‘informal agreement’.” Jeff pulled up his fingers to make quotation marks, causing Annie to slip the sponge up into his hair a little.

 _“Oops.”_ She whispered as he settled back down.

The room fell silent again, just the sound of their feet moving and their breaths easing in and out, filling the empty noise.

Jeff was very aware of the fact that she’d stepped even closer. Her thigh pressing into his own as he bounced his leg very slightly, his hands clasped tightly in his lap.

“Would you stop doing that?” Annie asked, nudging her knee to make him stop, but one fidget led to another, she noticed.

“And you should _really_ stop doing that.” Annie knocked a single knuckle into his jaw as he clenched and unclenched it rapidly.

“Hey!” He turned and looked up at her for the first time since she started work, the green paint creasing into his neck as the skin around his shoulder folded in. Somehow every inch of him still looked enticing, even with a green glow starting to wrap itself around his back. She started to wonder why he hadn’t just sat down in a chair for her to walk around him, but then she thought that the chairs belonged to Greendale and getting green paint onto them probably wasn’t the best idea.

“It’s not good to clench your teeth. It’s an unhealthy habit. It’s a sign you’re full of tension.” She added as she shifted again, leaning a little closer so her collarbone was pressed up against his upper arm. He could feel the tightness in the fabric of her hoodie. How was he supposed to stop himself from reacting to _that?_  And now what was she doing?

“Ow.” Jeff moaned, pulling down his shoulder as she rubbed a little harder with her thumb and the sponge.

“What?”

“Stop doing that.” He hunched both of his shoulders up, her eyes dropping back down to his meticulously worked on body that was folding up as he edged away from her. She brushed her brow with her wrist that was luckily free of paint before blinking away any thoughts that were starting to brew in the back of her mind.

Jeff looked down at his lap, and then to the floor, and then to her feet, and then to the chair in front of him, and then to the wall and then to the clock and then to the door and then to the empty desk that was previously owned by Professor Hickey (who had seemingly gone off grid ever since the previous semester) and then to _anything_ that wasn’t Annie, pressing up against him as she unintentionally tickled the spot right at the back of his neck that was particularly sensitive.

The atmosphere felt thick like you could scoop it up and serve it on a plate to prod and poke at. It was like they were in a bubble that wasn’t the right consistency to burst but wasn’t brittle enough to break into pieces. The atmosphere would have to be swiped away with one single action, and Jeff couldn’t trust his mind to think about what that could be.

She was rounding his front now as she asked him to lift up his chin. She was only doing around his neckline as she’d spotted his Frankenstein mask hanging on the coat rack once she’d started, and knowing Jeff, that’s all he’d been expecting. He wouldn’t want to ruin his crumpled up t-shirt any further as it sat in a rolled up ball behind him.

Annie was in full concentration mode now, so any thoughts about Jeff’s semi-naked body were long gone. If she was going to get the job done, she was going to get it done properly, even if he wasn’t expecting much. Jeff used her focus to advantage as he angled his eyes downwards, to watch her work.

If he’d ever called his body a masterpiece before, he was totally wrong, because now it truly was. His sculpted form was a canvas, and Annie was the artist who was laying her work all over him… and her talents and creative juices were flowing through the sponge, so could he really be blamed for what his mind was wondering off into?

He dozed off as he trailed down her neck, his eyes following the curl of a single strand of hair that was brushing against the top zip of her hoodie, concealing that mysterious red bow that was tucked up inside.

He pushed his front teeth together to mimic the feeling of tugging the metal zipper tag down, following the curve over her chest and down to the bottom where the hem of purple fabric hit a pair of tight fitting black skinny jeans that skimmed over her curves that he so badly wanted to reach out and touch with his own hands. He wanted to light every inch of her skin on fire, tug her down into his arms and nuzzle his nose into the gap between her hair and ear where it was naturally falling over her shoulder.

He wouldn’t take her here though. He wouldn’t push her up against the desk like he’d envisioned many times before. He’d tease her and tantalize her before scooping her up and whisking her away into his sheets, where he’d pepper her collar bone with kisses before pulling her up around his hips.

“Jeff?”

He heard her voice and licked his lips. She was calling out his name.

“Jeff? Je-eff…?”

Annie looked down to Jeff’s fingers which were mid-air, on their way to what she could only hope _wasn’t_ her zipper. She raised her eyebrows and took a shaky breath which was slightly more noticeable than she’d expected.

“S-s…” Jeff pushed his thumb up to his eye as he shook his head, taking the opportunity to glance down to his lap to make sure nothing else could cause embarrassment.

“Sorry… zoned out.”

Annie sighed shakily again before turning around to his left side, to carry on around his back. She was mentally kicking herself as she controlled her breathing. _He just zoned out… it wasn’t as if he was about to pull off my sweater and push me up against his desk… or anything like that._

Jeff scratched his hair and closed his eyes, trying to conjure up every disturbing image he could think of. _Chang. Chang with rabies. Babies with rabies. Chang as a baby with rabies. Chang eating a baby with rabies. Chang as a baby, eating a baby with rabies._

He was bouncing his foot up and down again, but at least it was in time with the music that was echoing over the speaker system, so she knew what he was tapping about.

“Nearly done.” Annie choked out, trying to stop herself from blowing out any further gasps of air that she knew would only make things worse, the warm heat of her breath causing him to tense up further. She watched his hands clench up like claws around his kneecaps, feeling slightly guilty at the fact that there were most likely crescent shaped indents in his skin by now.

“Should probably do my hands too, right?” As Annie stood back she bit on her lip, and tried not to flinch when a sharp jolt of pain shot through her mouth.

“You can… probably do them yourself, right?” She shrugged as she responded to his question, pulling in her throbbing bottom lip as she nodded awkwardly.

“Yeah… guess so.” Jeff nodded back before instinctively raising his arms up behind his neck, dropping them immediately as he realised what he was doing. Annie squeaked. _Chang as a baby with rabies, eating a baby with rabies. Chang eating himself as a baby with rabies, eating a baby with rabies which is also eating a baby with rabies._

“I’m gonna’ go.”

“Yeah.”

Before he knew it she was spinning around and slamming the door behind her, sprinting down the hallway before stopping at the library door to jog on the spot.

Jeff was still sat firmly on the edge of his desk.

He reached up behind his neck again but he was even unable to do that once she was out of the room because he’d end up smudging all of her hard work. _Hands,_ Jeff thought. _Paint, hands_.

* * *

 

“Oh my gosh, is that Jeff?” Britta piped up as herself, Abed and Annie hovered over the drinks table, all of them holding a red cup filled with a blood coloured punch. Britta had of course sneaked in a hip flask and was topping up her concoction every now and again, but after having her senses heightened by Jeff and his body paint, Annie wouldn’t dare to accept a drop.

“What?” Annie called over the music that was getting louder by the minute. The room was buzzing now and for a moment they all forgot they were at Greendale.

“Is… that… Jeff?” Britta slowed her voice before pointing to the other side of the room where a six foot four, chino and oversized blazer wearing Frankenstein had just entered the room. Instead of folding her lip inwards to stop herself from saying anything she’d regret, Annie was now folding her lip in to stop herself from laughing. She couldn’t hold it in though as he tilted his head from across the room, the latex mask wobbling around as he drew closer.

“What’s so funny?” He stood in front of them, his eyes being the only visible part of his face as he flicked between the three of them.

“Frankenstein? Cliché, but cool. Cool, cool, cool.” Abed nodded before taking a sip of his drink.

“Pfft, you don’t even need the mask with that forehead.” Jeff looked away at Britta’s comment before glancing back at Annie, finally taking in the costume he’d been so badly wanting to see. She was wearing a sleeveless, velvet black crop top that seemed to match her kitten eared flats, with faces on the left and right, the neckline dipping just low enough for Jeff to feel the need to look away.

The neck tie didn’t make things much better… the tie of one side of the bow dipping down past her collarbone that was being highlighted by the lights overhead. And of course, she was wearing the cat ears.

She’d cottoned on to the fact he was taking in her outfit, so she busied herself with a conversation with Britta before walking off with Abed who seemed to be dressed up as either Indiana Jones or Captain Reynolds… Jeff assumed the latter as he watched them drift away into the darkness, joining a group of fellow students. _Fellow students,_ Jeff laughed, his mask making his breath echo deeply.

“We can see your eyes, you know.” Britta passed him a red cup before unscrewing her flask to pour in an unhealthy dosage of whatever golden liquid it contained. Jeff naturally clinked his cup against hers before lifting the chin of his mask up to take a sip.

“I know you can see my eyes, that’s how it works. I can see you, you can see me.”

“Don’t be such a jerk. Just because you look like Frankenstein, doesn’t mean you can act like him.”

“Err… well, I wasn’t _planning_ on running around killing people.”

“You know what I mean. We all know you bought Annie the cat ears, we _all_ know the only reason your dressed up in full costume is because of her and we _all_ know that the mask is just an easy cover up for when you want to drool over her without anyone finding out.” Jeff shook his head and chewed on his bottom lip.

“You can’t deny it forever, you know.”

“What does that mean?”

“The fact that you… you know… want to get all up in there…” Britta nodded towards Annie, making Jeff look over too. He attempted to look away but the way she was dancing, was enough to drive anyone over the edge.

“If I wanted to ‘get all up in there’, I would have done it by now.” Jeff flicked up his hands defensively, flashing his damp, patchy palms where the paint had rubbed off on his plastic cup. Britta snorted as Jeff clenched his hand around his cup before taking a full swig.

He stood there for a while, his body slowly starting to rock left and right as a couple of familiar tunes played, receiving a few cheers from around the room. Annie had been glancing over now and then, sending a few smiles his way which he returned, forgetting that they wouldn’t be received. Annie _did_ receive them though… it was hard to ignore the spark in his eye every time he did.

“Why aren’t you joining in _Frankenstein?”_ Annie teased as she sided up to him, rolling her ‘R’ slightly as she spoke.

“Because there’s not a lot to join in with… what am I supposed to do, embarrass myself by dancing? You can’t just dance normally when you’re a six-foot giant of pure muscle and seductiveness. It just doesn’t work like that.”

Annie shook her head at his wording before readjusting her top as she looked over the dance floor with him, the action causing him to clench his teeth – _it’s an unhealthy habit, I should stop._

“What is your costume, anyway?” Jeff nudged her, glancing down slightly towards the red bow. His lips were parted and he thanked the latex-mask-designing-gods that there wasn’t a mouth hole for her to see through.

“I’m an Aristocat… his name is Berlioz, but I wouldn’t expect you to know that.”

“Aren’t you mean to have cat make-up on and claws on your nails?”

“I didn’t have time because I was sponging green paint on to _someone_ _else_.”

“Annie Edison coming unprepared for something… what’s going on there?”

“I’ve just been really busy recently. I have finals, I have work, I have internships to plan for… so, I think I can let it slide that I didn’t dress up as a top-to-toe-cat, right?”

“Ahh okay, that explains a lot… for a while there, I thought you’d just been ignoring me.”

“Oh, I had been.”

She watched the spark dull in his eyes as he looked down at her. One of his green hands was folded into a fist as he looked away. He wasn’t in their cosy cocoon anymore; he was in his own bubble that was easy enough to pop just by blowing.

“Your Frankenstein looks were scaring me away.”

It burst as he realised she’d only been teasing. She had that smug look on her face as she tilted her chin up in the air, looking up at him through the corner of her eye.

“Pretty sure you mean my _rakishly good looking_ looks were scaring you away. See, really, I intimidate you.”

“Oh come on Jeff, I’m pretty sure if anyone does the intimidating here, it’s me… _meow._ ” She purred, raising her hands up in her face before sliding backwards towards Abed once again. His mask was slipping backwards as he pulled his ears back, his smile wide in admiration.

* * *

 

After another cup of punch (sans tequila because he had to drive home at some point) Jeff loosened up a little, trying his best to ignore the fact that he could barely move his paint covered shoulders without it feeling like a thousand spiders were crawling all over him, begging to be swatted away in an attack of an intense itch and scratch.

He stood back for the game of limbo that the Dean had insisted on making part of the evening, but he was happy to sit back and watch Annie take a triumphant victory from the side-lines where she received a Shirley’s Sandwiches voucher which technically she could put to use seeing as Todd and Garrett were now managing her shifts as her schedule became busier off campus.

She waved it in the air with a giddy smile on her face as the evening simmered down and it made him question how he could possibly ever be in love with what he saw as the exact opposite of himself. He didn’t want to believe in it, but perhaps opposites did attract after all.

At some point Chang had joined them, dressed up as what he insisted was Flubber but looked like a jelly covered alien frog to everyone else. Jeff had whispered in Annie’s in ear that she should be lucky he painted _him_ green instead of _that…_ he’d taken note of the flush that spread down her neck and was keeping the visual safe and sound for the near future.

“Jeffrey, Britta, Annie, Abed… committee, I need you all on clean up duty.” 

They all snapped their heads around as the Dean danced his way over (he was dressed as the Statue of Liberty, once again making Jeff poke Annie in the side – she was becoming _really_ lucky that he was the only one who’d ask for a paint job.)

“Well I’m out of here. I have the last shift at work. See ya!” Britta waved and dashed off, leaving everyone to moan in annoyance. 

Abed had already started on the trash that was thrown around the place, leaving Jeff with no chance to complain or get himself out of the job, which was perhaps a good thing because Annie was watching him and that was the plan. No skipping out… no leaving early. Be there, or be square… or whatever the saying was.

“I’m surprised we even have any trash bags left after all of the frisbees we collected… what happened with them anyway? Did they get recycled?”

“Yup, we are officially a frisbee free school… the problem was solved.”

“Good job.” Annie smiled and nodded as they got on with one side of the room, a few songs still playing as the rather miscellaneous playlist finished up.

“You do realise you can take your mask off, right?” Annie looked up as she pulled down some cobwebbing, noticing how Jeff was shaking it up and down every now and then to let more air in. He tilted his head and hummed before looking up at her. She was still smiling.

“Nah, the party’s not over yet. Got to keep it on.”

“You’re weird.”

“ _You’re_ weird.”

“You’re weirder.”

“Okay, to settle this… you’re the weirdest. You can’t go further than that.”

Abed was watching them from the opposite side of the room. He tilted his head as he usually did before continuing with his red cup collection duty. Hearing them talk back and forth was enough to tell him that other problems were going to be solved soon too.

“There is technically a word for even _weirder_ than weirdest. _Crazy._ ”

“Oh you really want to ramp up your weirdness now? Fine, you’re the craziest.”

“No, you are. You gave me my title. I’m the weirdest.”

“Things change. That’s how life works, Annie.”

* * *

 

It turns out that Jeff really didn’t break promises. His mask was still firmly in place as the last giant spider came down from the walls. The Dean had switched the playlist off half an hour ago, leaving the four of them – Chang had slipped out before they’d started, but nobody was complaining due to the fact he’d already left enough of his slimey residue on the surfaces - in a comforting Greendale silence, just the usual hums and window creaks in the background.

“Are we done?” Jeff lifted his hands up as he looked around, content with how things were looking. Not a single red cup or fake cobweb was in sight.

“I think we are…” Annie sighed before turning it into a full on yawn, a hand going up to her mouth. Her nose was scrunching up and Jeff was glad there wasn’t a black splodge to cover it up. It was perfectly cute on its own.

“Abed, what are you doing now?” Abed was pointing his fake gun in different directions, turning it to face Jeff before answering the question.

“There’s a new Inspector Spacetime episode that I’ve yet to watch so I’m going back home to watch it. I think Annie might be too.”

“Cool... well… I could… get us all ice cream and come join you?” Even though Jeff had said ‘us’, he’d looked directly at Annie, so that secret locked up inside her was now beginning to open.

“You… watching… Inspector _Spacetime?_ You wouldn’t even understand it! Last week’s episode had a major plot twist which has made things even more confusing.”

“It was a predictable plot twist though. The Blorgon sent their message last season, so you just have to go back and rewatch to pick out what exactly it was...”

“Okay, maybe you’re right. Maybe I _won’t_ come and watch your nerdy show… but I’ll still get ice cream if anyone wants some.”

“Well… I don’t think either of us will say no to ice cream.” Abed nodded in agreement.

“Fine, well, let’s get in my car and go.”

* * *

 

They picked up ice cream from the same spot where Jeff and Annie’s informal agreement had been made, making Annie deflate a little inside at the fact that Abed was now in on the little spot that served perfectly melty and flavoursome pots of creamy goodness… not that they owned the place, but with the secret she’d created in her mind, she’d wanted to keep it that way.

She’d also expected Jeff to back out once Abed had confirmed his interest because by the look on his face back in the cafeteria, she’d thought maybe he’d been hinting on talking to her alone.

He did get a few minutes’ chance when Abed hopped out of the car first, tottering up the steps of Apartment 303 to unlock the door.

“I can’t believe you went to the drive through like that _and_ you’re still wearing it.” She pointed at his face as she sat in the front seat, her ice cream half eaten in her hand.

“I can’t believe it myself to be honest, which means it’s probably time to grace you with my face again.” He pulled it off slowly, the rubber flicking up over his nose as it stretched up over the back of his head. Annie looked away shyly as she laid her eyes on his hair which was flattened down at the front, with tufts poking out in every other direction at the back. She took a cooling spoonful of orange coloured vanilla ice cream (a Halloween special) to burn away a flush she could feel brewing. It really was impossible to turn it off.

“What? Oh god, my hair right? Great. Fantastic.” Jeff pulled down the mirror above his head to deal with the mess, leaving Annie feeling disappointed that she couldn’t take in his hat hair for much longer. She wondered if he woke up like that each morning.

“Are you coming up?” He shook his head. _If only the reason she was asking was for something more than a British TV programme he didn’t understand._

“I think I’ll pass.”

“Thanks for the ice cream.”

“No problem.”

“Did you want to talk about something? Did Abed get in the way? Because of the ice cream and…” She shook her cup in the air, the plastic spoon rattling about.

“Nope. Just wanted ice cream.” _And to drive you home because I noticed you were getting tired,_ is what he didn’t say.

“Goodnight Jeff.” She smiled before climbing out of the car, stepping onto the sidewalk, the door of his Lexus still open.

“Goodnight kitten.” He called out, immediately scrunching up his eyes as he realised how awful it had sounded out loud.

“ _Kitten?”_

“Yeah just… forget… shut the door.”

They both rolled their eyes as she walked off.

She tried to forget it, with every inch of her, but his words were still ringing through her mind as she slipped out of her kitten embroidered crop top and her kitten eared flats. She wondered what it would feel like to have his fingers curl around the red ribbon scooping around her neck. She wondered what it would feel like to have him say goodnight and curl around _her._

And then his other words rang around her mind.  
She really was the craziest.


	8. Love,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently Jeff's mom makes really good cherry pie...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Meehhh. I don't know how to feel about this chapter. Send me some love to boost my writing ego.)

It was five minutes until midnight and all Jeff could do was lay in bed and stare at the clock on his wall. He shouldn’t have put one there, because on the night before his birthday, the last thing he wanted to do was watch time slowly tick away, reminding him of his impending doom and how he was about to turn forty-one; meaning he’d got half way and there was no turning back.

Not that there was ever any turning back, but he felt as if his whole life was now set in stone. He was single, he lived in a one-bedroom apartment, he worked at a community college doing a job that was only worthwhile to pay the bills, and he was hung up over a twenty-three-year-old go getter - well, technically, soon to be twenty- _four_ -year-old which reminded him he really needed to think of a gift before he ran into the ‘I’m so sorry I forgot, but here’s a gift card’ time zone.

He usually bought her stationery, specifically _purple_ stationery because she could never get enough of it, but this year, it was like he owed her more. Not that she was expecting anything, but he _loved_ her for god’s sake… and he’d never bought a gift for somebody he _knew_ he loved.

Other than his mom, and one time, his dad (he’d bought him some cufflinks because the feeling of passing over cash for something so proper and professional had filled his little five-year-old self with pride), but never someone outside of his family. Never someone he knew everything about, but wanted to know so, _so_ much more.

If he had to rack his brains for a significant gift, it would be something like a watch, because he knew she wore one every day (like him, he realised, but she probably wore it for _actually_ telling the time). Unfortunately, although she’d appreciate the gesture, it would be a bit too farfetched to pull out a timepiece that cost several hundred dollars in front of everyone without it seeming like he was trying to win her over.

He’d buy her one though; one day. Maybe one with a matching face to his, or at least one in a similar colour, because that kind of soppy stuff actually struck a chord with him now. And if he really thought about it long enough, he’d end up imagining them holding hands and having their watches match in the middle – because she wore hers on her left wrist and he wore his on his right. Opposites.

He blinked and shook away the thought and there it was, glaring right back at him; midnight.

He glanced over to the glass of scotch he’d poured himself out, took it in hand, took a swig back, placed it back down and pulled a pillow over his head.

 _Forty-one._ He sighed.

* * *

 

His mom had called at lunch to wish him a good day and to make sure he was still on for Thanksgiving next week (he’d missed last year because he was recovering from what a disaster his 40th had been), but other than that, his plan of calling in sick for the day had gone smoothly. There weren’t any surprise celebrations, there weren’t any jibes about the downhill decline he was about to face, and there wasn’t anything that could get in the way of him and several episodes of Parks and Rec in a row.

He’d made himself some pasta for lunch with slightly more cheese than usual because he felt like it, and was now dangling off the couch with a beer in his hand, a blanket strewn across the paperwork he still had to finish for his classes.

He’d opened up his laptop at one point to think up some ideas for Annie’s birthday present but he’d had to close it down when he’d _actually_ considered clicking on one of those dodgy looking porn pop-ups. It was _that_ kind of day.

“Shit.”

His beer was now on the floor after being scared out of his skin by a heavy banging at the door. He stood up and clumsily trekked into the kitchen for a cloth before soaking up the golden fizzy foam the best he could. Luckily there wasn’t any glass to deal with but his carpet was going to have a stench to it for a while.

He shuffled around the couch before pulling back the door, not caring to look through the peephole, but regretting it as soon as he took in all six eyes looking up at him. He sighed and rolled his own eyes before stepping back.

“Come in…”

Annie squealed before giddily brushing past. Abed tilted his head and smiled as he too followed, with Britta closely behind, pushing a bottle of whatever she could get for free at her bar into Jeff’s chest.

“I didn’t even get a message from you guys today, so you show up _clearly_ uninvited?” Annie rolled her eyes at him before unpacking her bag which seemed to be full to the brim with snacks, a couple of envelopes (which he presumed were birthday cards), and one small, ribbon tied gift bag.

“It was Annie’s idea to surprise you.” Abed added, making her turn away shyly. She’d only suggested it because they hadn’t seen him all day and it had felt rude not to do _something._ Plus, she would throw a surprise party for anyone, not just Jeff.

“Oh really?” Jeff raised his eyebrows as he rounded the counter of the kitchen, resting on his elbows as Annie pulled open some packs of pretzels and poured them into some bowls that she’d somehow already discovered.

“You act like you don’t appreciate it, but there was a small part of you that _wanted_ us to come knocking at your door.” She looked up at him with wide eyes and it was all sorts of wrong that he found it kind of sexy when she was trying to prove him wrong. It was the way she jutted her chin out and stood so firmly upright that did it… okay so maybe the way her blouse got a little tighter around the bust, wasn’t too bad either.

“Well technically you still haven’t given me a reason as to why you’re here. All you’ve done so far is come in and use my plates for whatever snacks I shall _definitely_ not be eating.” He smiled smugly before standing back up to lean on the counter behind him, his muscles tensing as he did so.

Annie finished pouring some chips into a bowl, bit her lip and joined him on the other side of the counter, trying her best to ignore the way his eyes drop down to her mouth as she stepped closer.

“Happy Birthday, grump.” She leant up and pulled him down for a quick hug that Jeff slowly accepted, his hands sliding around her waist as he smiled down at the floor.

“Abed’s ordering pizza as _his_ gift, Britta brought whatever she gave you at the door, and I have a small something for when you’ve eaten. We can watch a movie, play a game… do whatever you want.”

“Oh good, so I do get a say in this. What I want to do, is go back to watching whatever I was watching _before_ I was interrupted... _alone._ ”

He was still leaning against the counter, his eyes fully focused on Annie rather than Abed and Britta who were making their selves at home. Britta was on one of his arm chairs with her feet swung up over the edge and Abed was rifling through his DVD collection.

Annie glared at him before spinning around to put the snack bowls down on his coffee table, pausing to pout over the damp patch in his carpet.

“Abed, where’s this pizza?”

“You can order, I’ll pay.”

Jeff nodded and waved a hand in the air to say ‘whatever’ before taking out his phone and scrolling through a couple of options of delivery places, finally landing on the healthiest option that he knew wasn’t too far away.

“Annie, order.” He passed his phone over and watched her for a moment, the smooth, barely-there lines around her eyes making him look at the gift bag and think back to his mom’s phone call.

 _“Jeffrey… gosh, to think forty-ones years ago today you were lying in my arms, screaming your little head off… my boy, you were beautiful.”_ He laughed under his breath, causing Annie to look up at him as he looked away, his face drooping slightly. His eyes were dark in thought.

She passed his phone on to Britta which is what he was going to do anyway (which he realised was rather trusting of him), and then resumed to snack preparing duties, casting a glance up at him every now and then. He’d fallen silent.

“If you surprised _me_ on _my_ birthday, do you think I’d be this down in the dumps?” She asked, expecting some kind of snide remark in reply.

“You don’t really have much to be down about.” He wasn’t looking at her straight on and his lips were a little twisted, so she knew something was up. Maybe last year had really taken a toll on him; maybe he really did feel as if he was slowing creeping towards nothingness.

“Do you know what Abed? I think I might go and collect those pizzas instead… with Jeff.” She added wearily, looking at him through the corner of her eye as she called out to Abed over her shoulder.

“Cool.” He wondered over and passed back Jeff’s phone, before returning to DVD searching.

Jeff was looking at her with a puzzled face.

“I think somebody needs some _ice cream._ ”

* * *

 

They were sitting on the front of Jeff’s car (he’d made it clear that if she started swinging her legs, she’d have to walk back with the pizzas instead), ice cream in hand. If they took slightly longer than Abed and Britta might be thinking of waiting, they’d just say the pizza place was busy and their order was at the bottom of a very long queue.

“I was _going_ to give you this with your present, but I think you might be in need of it now.” He took the card that was in her hand, reading the curly letters on the front which spelled out ‘Jeff’.

“Ugh, is this some kind of sentimental crap of yours?”

She dropped her mouth open in shock, her plastic spoon resting on her bottom lip. He had to look away.

“I don’t _do_ sentimental… _crap,_ I do _meaningful…_ things.”

He shook his head a little before carefully ripping a line along the top fold of the envelope. He perched his tiny pot of ice cream beside him, holding it still for a moment so it wouldn’t slide off before pulling out the card.

He turned his head and raised his eyebrows.

“Wow. What a great card.”

“It was the only one I could find that wasn’t too cutesy or had some weird innuendo on the front.”

The design she’d picked out was rather minimalist, but with a cartoon drawing and god-awful but kind of adorable caption saying ‘I got you this cheesy birthday card’ (the drawing was of a lump of cheese).

He opened it up and squinted at her perfectly straight writing that surrounded the already printed ‘So I hope you have a great day!’.

“Dear Jeff… Happy Bir-.”

“Don’t read it out loud! It’s yours not mine.”

He took a breath before continuing…

_‘Dear Jeff,_

_Happy Birthday! I hope you’ve had a great day so far (even if you’ve just been lounging in all day – great excuse by the way ‘being sick’… I thought you were perfect and didn’t get sick?) and that you don’t mind us barging in on you_ too _much._

 _So yes, birthdays can be depressing but the_ reason _we barged in on you is to celebrate the fact that you_ are _here, because you probably don’t realise how much you’ve changed our lives (crazy, huh? Who would have thought your Winger charm_ actually _works?)’_

She watched him smile at that.

_‘and why we’d hate to not have you in them. You once said that people can find the good in anything but themselves, and that’s true, but then that’s what we’re here for right? To tell you how awesome you are and why you deserve to be happy on your birthday! So – yes, Jeff Winger is awesome and even if life hasn’t gone exactly to plan, neither has any of ours, so… you’re not the only one._

_But that also means, you have to celebrate yourself! Take time to do something that makes you feel good about yourself. Be a vain jerk for the day because you can. I won’t say a word, I promise.’_

She couldn’t quite read his expression as he finished up. He was chewing on his bottom lip and his shoulders had dropped a little.

_‘Love,  
Annie xoxo’_

He tried not to gulp at that one single word, but somehow it said more than everything else before it. It wasn’t like she was saying she loved him, but it gave him a taste for it, at least. He swallowed before slipping the card back into its envelope.

“Thank you… you’re right, I did need that… and I promise, I won’t be down on your birthday. Oh, by the way, by ‘be a vain jerk for the day’, do you mean twenty-four hours? Because if so, that means I can be vain from now until this time tomorrow. So I guess I should say…”

Jeff held out a hand for her to shake.

“Hi, Jeff Winger, ridiculously good looking, nice to meet you.”

She looked away in faux annoyance before he had the chance to catch her smile.

* * *

 

The rest of the evening had been manageable with no more spilt beer and no more moments to feel down about his age. Annie’s gift had been a personalised and embossed leather notebook which she’d written a little note in to say that even if he didn’t necessarily love teaching, he should try and embrace it, and that started with just the little things like… stationery.

So maybe he would just get her stationery again this year, now he thought about it.

The next thing on his list was to get Thanksgiving over and done with. Thanksgiving (or anytime he was over at his mom’s house for that matter) was a time for his mom to interrogate him about every aspect of his life.

He spoke to her more regularly now (she texted him most days and rang at least once a week or so) so she was up to speed on most things, meaning he didn’t quite understand why she had to _keep_ digging, exactly like she was now as they sat around her dining room table that was covered in enough food to feed at least half a dozen people.

“So what are your students like? Are they nice, or do they disrupt your teaching, or…?”

“I don’t know… I guess they’re okay or whatever. I don’t really have much of an opinion on them.” (More like, he didn’t really want to attempt to explain who Garrett was).

“Well you should do… do you have any favourites?”

“Pretty sure you’re not meant to pick favourites, isn’t that like in the teaching rulebook, or… part of teaching 101?”

“You’re the teacher Jeffrey, not me. More casserole?”

Jeff shrugged a shoulder before accepting another portion. He was going to have to work off a load of the carbs she was feeding him, but it felt wrong to say no when it was his mom.

“Why don’t you ever ask me anything?”

Jeff looked up from his food to watch his mom eating her own, avoiding him as she awaited an answer.

“Erm, okay… I… well… I saw you got a new rug… where did you get that from?”

“Don’t be silly now.”

“I’m not! I literally have no questions to ask.”

“Well at least talk to me about something… have you found anybody yet?”

“Have I _found_ anybody yet? What does that mean?” He scrunched in his brow, preparing himself for a conversation that he’d had a thousand times before.

“There must be somebody by now… even if it’s a man, I don’t mind.”

 _“Jesus…_ ” Jeff spoke to the ceiling, holding a tight grip around his fork.

“You can’t stay like this forever, Jeff.”

“What does ‘ _this’_ mean?”

“Single… without anybody by your side.”

“I have _several_ people by my side, and what about you? You can hardly talk.”

“At least I’ve been married once.”

“Yeah and look how that ended.” He was prodding at his food now with just his fork, his other hand up to his forehead as he clenched on his teeth.

“Don’t be angry with me Jeff, I’m your mother. I just want to make sure you’re happy.”

“I’m not angry... I’m sorry, I just… I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”

Doreen stopped and watched her son mushing around the small dollop of mash potato he’d served himself, his eyes frozen in a stare as he looked down at the pepper shaker in front of him.

“Jeffrey, you can tell me anything you know, I’m not your father. I do care.”

“It’s not…” He wasn’t even sure what he was going to say. What was he about to do? Tell her he’d fallen in love with someone who was right under his nose the whole time and was too insecure and pathetic to do anything about it?

“There is someone, isn’t there?”

 _Screw it,_ Jeff thought as he took a large scoop of the stuffing he’d been eyeing up all evening.

“Jeffrey…”

“Mom.”

“Je-.”

“If you _met her!_ ”

He almost shouted it out as he clasped his fists on the table. His mom stretched out a hand and curled her fingers around his wrist.

“I’m sorry.” He breathed out, closing his eyes to compose himself.

“Jeff you can tell me…”

“You already know about her. She started Greendale with me. Annie.”

Doreen paused to think about it, tapping Jeff’s wrist when the name rang a bell.

“Ah yes… she does something in… healthcare?”

Jeff shook his head.

“Forensics… now, anyway.”

“Is she… married… or with somebody else?”

“What? No, not all.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Jeff looked at his mom and realised it was a good question. He laughed and shook his head.

“Because I left it too long? The… the stupid thing is, is the fact that there’s part of me which thinks she _does_ love me, but I won’t let myself believe it and I can’t ever tell her that I do too… because she deserves so much better. I don’t deserve her, I mean, she’s perfect. You’d seriously love her; I know you would.”

She was watching him intently, her hand still firmly in place on his wrist.

“You’re in love with her? Jeffrey…”

“Do we have to talk about it right now? For once I actually thought I could go a day _without_ thinking about it… or, _her,_ or whatever.”

Doreen rubbed her thumb on the inside of Jeff’s wrist before pulling away to stand up, picking up their plates as she did.

“I’ll get dessert.”

Jeff watched her walk away. It _did_ feel as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, opening up to her, but there was still so much more he could have said. Like how every time she walked into a room, she was the only thing he saw, or how things were actually looking better between them and how they had their own little escape for just the two of them… even if it was just some tacky ice cream drive-thru with a parking lot that was overgrown with weeds.

They’d even come up with a name for the worker they’d seen on his birthday, emptying out trash into a dumpster. His name was now Kyle. Annie laughed when they’d agreed upon it; even if it was just some stupid little story they were putting together about the dungaree wearing thirty-year-old, he’d laughed too because he couldn’t help himself.

And then he’d looked over at her and his laugh had faded out and all he was left to do was drop his eyes to her lips and look away when she started eating again. He wanted to know if she felt the same way when she looked at _him._ How everything just blurred around him and how the only thing he could hear was his breath and his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

“There you go, pumpkin pie, just like I always do it.”

He ate the pie, watched some older episodes of Bones because his mom was getting back into it, and then slipped his coat back on to drive home. It was going to be one of those ‘put some crappy radio station on full volume’ kind of drives back.

“There’s some more pie in that one, some stuffing in there, some turkey in that one and here’s a small pot of cranberry sauce because your Aunt Judith brought it over fresh this morning.” Jeff took all of the silver tin trays in hand, walking over to the passenger side of his car to carefully position them.

“Jeffrey, come here, say goodbye.” He sighed and walked over, accepting a hug which made him realise that he really must have got his height from his dad.

“Update me on this Annie situation, you two sound perfect for each other.” She had her hands around his elbows and was clutching onto him with the excitement of a three-year-old.  

“Mom, you _literally_ know nothing about her.”

“Exactly, I want you to both to be together so you can bring her around for dinner someday and _then_ I can learn all about her.”

“Yeah, just be patient with that one.”

He was climbing into the driver’s seat, his mom ready at the door to see him off.

“If she ever needs some persuading, I make a great cherry pie that most women can’t resist.”

“I’ll let her know.”

“I’ll see you soon, okay?”

He nodded as she pushed the door shut, standing back to wave as he reversed out of the driveway. He sounded his horn because he knows she always found it amusing and drove off, the street lights leading the way.

If cherry pie was hard to resist then he had some tough competition, because quite honestly, his mom _did_ make great cherry pie. Even if blueberry was Annie’s favourite, he was pretty certain she’d accept the left-overs and leave the bowl squeaky clean.

* * *

 

When he arrived back home, he lay in bed with a glass of scotch in hand, checking in to see if he had any messages from the group.

There was a picture from Abed which showed them all (the all being Abed, Annie, Britta, Chang and the Dean) sat around the table in Apartment 303, and it made him feel slightly guilty for missing out. Luckily it had just been the evening, but the fact that Annie had spent all day alone preparing with Britta made the day he’d spent lounging about waiting for the clock to strike five so he could drive to his mom’s house, feel kind of pointless in comparison.

That was what a lot of things felt like recently – pointless.

He glanced over to his bedside table and remembered that he’d left Annie’s card out on the side, so he picked it up and re-read it and somehow, it cleared his mind. Somehow it gave him that energy boost he was in need of.

She was right. He needed to start doing things that made him feel good about himself because he was here right? He might not have everything he wanted, but at least he had the ability to go out and get it. Even if he wasn’t able to bring Annie home to his mom _now,_ didn’t mean he wouldn’t ever be able to.

He gulped back the last of his scotch, put down Annie’s card and brought out his phone again, going to his Spotify account to make sure a playlist was downloaded for the next morning.

He was going to work out, burn off those calories he’d filled himself up on, come home and go to his basket on that fancy sports website and splash out on those golf clubs he’d been eyeing up because he just turned forty-one and it was a totally acceptable thing to do in a spurt of motivation and self-appreciation.

And then when Annie most probably comes to see him in his office on Monday, to ask how Thanksgiving went, he was going to say it went great and that she looked really good today.

And then he was going to buy her a fancy gift even if it did raise suspicion because quite frankly, that was his plan after all right? To get her to realise that he _did_ care about her and that she _was_ worth the several hundred dollars he was willing to spend.

So yeah, his credit card might not exactly be looking forward to the day after Thanksgiving, but what the hell, right?

Nobody lives forever.


	9. An Orbiting Spacecraft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff finally explains why he's been eating so much ice cream.

According to Webster’s dictionary, the definition of ‘pretty’ is, ‘attractive to look at usually in a simple or delicate way’.

Annie kicked herself for searching it online once she’d finished with her last class for the day, but the temptation had been too much to resist ever since she’d walked out of Jeff’s office after receiving a “Hey Annie? You look really pretty today” and a smile she couldn’t shake from her system.

She’d been in to see how his Thanksgiving had been, getting a small apology for not being there especially since Shirley wasn’t around (she’d understood of course – in fact, she was happy to know he was spending time with his mom) but she certainly hadn’t been prepared for the compliment she’d received afterwards.

It was so off the cuff and random… he’d never really complimented her like that before. There was that one time at a dinner party that he’d agreed with everyone else that she looked ‘nice’, but other than that, he’d never stopped and directly told her she looked pretty or… _attractive_ in a simple or delicate way.

The reason she was _really_ kicking herself as she sat down at the study room table, was because she wasn’t quite sure what that meant. She presumed Jeff didn’t specifically know the definition of the word, but what if he did? What if he knew it meant attractive but in a _delicate_ way?

She didn’t want to be associated with being delicate or like a petal… she’d been through enough to prove that she was anything _but_ delicate, even if she did use to wear ‘ _pretty’_ dresses and brightly coloured cardigans.

Perhaps she should be thinking of the other part of the definition – attractive. Jeff thought she was attractive… she rattled her pen against her textbook as she thought about it, tilting her head as she mulled it over.

He had _fairly_ obviously looked her up and down at the Halloween dance… and she (nor he) could forget the fact he’d accidentally zoned out and reached up towards her zipper whilst she’d painting him… she shook her head and cringed at the thought. Perhaps she shouldn’t even be thinking about the definition at all? Maybe he just thought she looked nice… the dictionary definition of ‘nice’ being… nope, no, no; she shut her phone off before she could even open up the browser.

She had a to-do list to look through and there _definitely_ wasn’t an item written on it saying ‘Fret over the definition of Jeff’s throw-away compliment’. She pulled out her notebook from her bag, one of the items of top priority being ‘Measure backpack’. She was on the hunt for a new one and with her birthday coming up, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to treat herself.

Luckily she had a measuring tape tucked away in one of the handy zip up pockets (she’d been asked to measure something for the Dean and had yet to return it), so she unravelled it and started measuring it around, her pen in-between her teeth so she could easily pop it out and write the numbers down.

She needed something that was around the same size because currently, she could fit all of her essentials in it, so if it were to be any larger, she’d end up stuffing it with even more and cause herself back pain (she’d learnt that one the hard way).

“Why are you measuring your backpack?” She looked up and almost choked on her pen as she saw Jeff slide down into his chair, ready for the committee meeting that was supposed to start in ten minutes.

“Hmm? Oh, erm, I want to buy a new one… you know with my birthday coming up and Christmas, _not that I really celebrate Christmas,_ but it makes sense to treat myself to something… but honestly I’m not even sure I’ll be able to.”

She was surprised she was able to put a sentence together as he sat with his chair turned towards her, nodding like he was genuinely interested, a smile creeping onto his lips as he raised his eyebrows.

“Why not? And why do you need to measure it to buy a new one?”

“Because I’m not sure I’m going to have enough money in on time… the ones I’m looking at are like a hundred dollars and I’m still picking up on Britta’s late rent, _luckily_ not for much longer, so I think I might have to put it off until I know more about the internships I’ll be applying for... and I have to _measure_ it because I want one which is a similar size.”

“So… what size is it?” He asked with a pout whilst glancing around the room, his eyes returning back to her as she wrote down the third and final measurement.

“Erm…” She raised an eyebrow at him before reading what she’d written, “sixteen inches by twelve inches… by four inches, but that one’s not quite as important.” She smiled whilst nodding, swinging her bag back onto her chair before flicking through some pages in her binder, finding the correct list for the meeting. She peeked at Jeff through her lashes and saw him, head down at his phone, his fingers and thumbs tapping away.

She was still curious about what he actually did on his phone. Abed thought that maybe he wrote his ‘speeches’ on it but she couldn’t even remember the last time he’d done one and how many speeches could he possibly need to draft up anyway?

“What are you doing for your birthday? Do you guys have anything planned?” His phone was back in his pocket now, his hand up against his face so he could rest his elbow on the table.

“Not much… I don’t think I have anything planned, to be honest. I might go to watch a movie but I’m not expecting anything at all.” She shrugged before pushing out from her chair to grab a couple of sheets of paper from the cupboards behind her.

“But you are though right? You want a big surprise and all that.” Jeff leant back in his chair whilst smirking, tilting his head as he watched her bounce around the room.

“I do _not!_ I _like_ surprises but it doesn’t mean I’m expecting anything. It’s not like this year is a special number or anything… in fact, I kind of want to just relax because I’ve been so busy recently. I’d like to have a bubble bath and watch trashy TV all day.”

“Isn’t that exactly what you _stopped_ me from doing on _my_ birthday?”

“No… we stopped you from being _miserable_ on your birthday because you wouldn’t suck up and admit it even _was_ your birthday. I’ll be _relaxing,_ there’s a difference.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“What will you remember?” Britta slumped down as Annie finished up preparing things, letting Jeff explain that Annie ‘is going to have a relaxing birthday all alone’.

“I didn’t say nobody could be there… well, actually, no, you can’t be there for the bubble bath part of the day… actually please just forget I even mentioned that?” Annie nodded with gritted teeth, trying her best to ignore the _disgustingly_ wide grin Jeff was flashing her.

The meeting ended up being a great success with no ridiculous suggestions from Chang, no bickering between Jeff and Britta over what changes were morally right or wrong and there wasn’t even a second of time that left Annie thinking about Jeff’s compliment. In fact, she hadn’t thought about it for the whole hour of the meeting, so when she did _eventually_ get back to remembering it, she took it as it was; a compliment.

* * *

 

He hadn’t decided upon her birthday present the day after Thanksgiving, so he took it as a sign when she was measuring up her backpack that he should take a look at researching some himself. A hundred dollars wasn’t _that_ much in his mind, especially when his golf-clubs had cost him almost a thousand (he was really hoping the Dean wasn’t going to hit him with another late pay-day anytime soon), so taking a look at well made, leather bags and satchels wasn’t the worst way to spend an evening.

Her backpack currently was just a standard, slightly plastic-y backpack with zippers and padded straps. It was practical, but if she was looking for something fancier herself, something sleek and smart would be the kind of thing she’d be into, right? There were lots of different colour choices and even the option of getting her initials embossed on the front with a small symbol to match.

He decided he’d give it to her on her own so that nobody would make a big deal out of it… buy her a smaller gift as a distraction. She’d make it out like she’d bought it herself, and it would be fine… and if she asked any questions like ‘Why did you buy this?’, he’d just shrug and tell her she needed one… or maybe he’d just nut up and tell her he loved her. But probably not the latter, because that was most definitely a way to ruin a birthday if it ended the way he’d been imagining over the past few months. If he was going to make her cry, he at least wanted it to be due to happiness.

He took a breath and clicked pay, almost three hundred dollars immediately being released from his funds. He brushed a hand down his face and closed down his laptop.

Abed had texted to say that there was a premiere showing of the new reboot version of ‘Annie’ but Jeff had declined on that one. He’d watched the trailer and had been almost tempted at the idea of Cameron Diaz but even _she_ was a stretch. Annie was happy to go and watch it with Abed and even Britta but he was fine in remaining a ‘too cool for school’ kind of guy just this once. He’d join them afterwards though and maybe he’d even bring along some ice cream for them to indulge in as a post-cinema snack _. The gift should probably be enough to get me off the hook though…_

* * *

 

“Aww, thanks Abed! That’s awesome… I definitely need to start watching these as _soon_ as possible!” She smiled before pulling him for a hug, settling the boxset of ‘The X-Files’ down on the dining table before shaking the small purple gift box that was sat on top of a couple of birthday cards.

“Oooh, I wonder what this is.” She raised her eyebrows and glanced around the table, not noticing Jeff shift back a little whilst scratching his ear.

She peeled back the lid and the small layer of tissue that lay on top before unfolding a small gift card that was inside…

_‘Dear Annie,_

_Happy Birthday – I hope you had a good day and enjoyed your ‘relaxation’._  
  
Just a small gift...  
Jeff

_(P.S – This isn’t the only thing I got you. I’ll give it to you if we go and make use of this after dinner?)’_

She scrunched in her eyebrows as she popped the card down on her lap, her hands coming back up to the surface to peel away even more tissue, revealing a pink and white swirled piece of plastic, the shape and size of a credit card, with the logo for their little ice cream spot printed on the front. She took it in her hands, looking up at Jeff sceptically as he brushed under his nose with a finger.

She flipped it over and read the tiny white writing on the back which stated all of the terms and conditions of the card; it was a voucher that could be used for a whole year, and enabled you to two ice creams for the price of one. She smiled and tilted her head before rolling her eyes, ignoring Britta who was waving her hands in the air, moaning “Ugh come on, what is it?”.

“Thank you.”

Jeff continued to scratch his face off, this time scraping his nails across his jaw through the stubbly beard that was still growing strong.

“Well are you going to tell us what it is or are we just going to sit here wasting our time?” Britta slouched back in her chair.

“Britta! It’s a voucher… for ice cream.”

“Haha, yeah, Annie _really_ loves ice cream.” Jeff nodded with fake enthusiasm, receiving a raised eyebrow and tilt of the head from Abed.

“You guys are weird…” Britta squinted as Annie began ripping open cards, trying not to look up at Jeff too often as an unusual butterfly sensation settled within her.

* * *

 

“Is it me, or do they go out for ice cream _way_ too often these days? It’s winter! And Jeff doesn’t even _eat_ ice cream!” Britta threw her hands up in the air as Annie slipped out the door behind Jeff, leaving Britta and Abed to stand and stare.

* * *

 

“Who knew ice cream could warm you up when it’s cold? This hot fudge is _incredible._ ” Annie swiped some more warm chocolate goo up into her mouth as they sat inside Jeff’s car, the windows all shut up and the heating still buzzing away, specifically pointed towards Annie’s feet as she’d stated they were a little bit chilly.

“I know? See that gift card really is going to come in handy.”

Jeff had somehow already eaten all of his ice cream, so he scraped at the bottom of his pot before stretching over his seat to the back of the car to grab the fairly bulky box that had been sitting there all evening.

Annie’s eyes widened as he dropped it down into his lap, before popping out a cup holder so she could settle down her ice cream to open it up.

“What’s this?”

“It’s your _actual_ gift.” She could see he was clenching down on his teeth as he passed it over, the box feeling fairly weighty as she held it in her hands.

“Just open it… don’t make a big deal out of it. The only reason I didn’t show the others is because… well… for Abed’s birthday this year, I let him add a user to my Netflix account… so it’s kind of… I didn’t want him or Britta thinking I was… I don’t know, just open it and you’ll see what I mean.”

Annie nodded before peeling a corner piece of wrapping paper off, tugging it so it tore, revealing a brown cardboard box. Jeff pulled out his apartment key for her to open it up with, slicing through the packing tape that held it securely together.

She had absolutely no idea what to expect in a package of its size, and with her brain working overtime just to open the damn thing, she couldn’t really sit back and appreciate the fact that Jeff had gone to all this trouble just for _her._

“I have _literally_ no idea what this…”

“That’s kind of the point of opening it…”

She rolled her eyes before slipping her hand in the box, feeling around for a moment before pulling out a fabric bag that was covering what felt like _another_ bag. Her mouth dropped open a little when she read the branding on the front.

“Jeff… w… this is… these are _really_ expensive… I…” She flicked between Jeff and the dust cover in her hands, unsure of what to say.

“ _Please_ don’t mention it… just open it, because honestly I haven’t even seen it yet.”

She nodded before pulling the drawstring tie open, the fabric dropping down around a brand new leather backpack… and _oh my word, is that a silver ‘A.E’ embossing?_ She let out a little ‘hmm’ of a squeal before lifting up one of the buckles to see inside.

“Jeff… this is insane… I… now I feel _awful._ You shouldn’t have got me this! I got you a _notebook.”_

“A very _nice_ notebook that I’ve already started to use… I’m sorry it’s actually a little smaller than your old backpack… not that your other one has to be your _old_ one, I mean, do you like it? I just got black because it looks smart and… I don’t know, it’s different, I guess.”

“Yes… obviously I do… I… I just, I don’t know what to say…” Annie shrugged her shoulder whilst looking at him with wide eyes. Honestly, if she didn’t know better and if there wasn’t an arm rest and a cup holder between them, she probably would have lent across and tugged him towards her.

“It’s fine… although it’s a Christmas and Hanukkah present all wrapped up in one because there is _no_ way I can afford both and… also, _Jewish._ ” She nodded as she traced a finger across her initials, still feeling rather speechless.

“Thank you… this will really help me out a lot… and just so you know… you don’t _ever_ have to buy me a gift again. _Ever._ ” Jeff snorted.

“Well that’s not going to happen… that rules out every form of gift.” _Like flowers, and kisses, and a fancy engagement ring, and lingerie, and chocolates on Valentine’s Day and a set of keys for his apartment…_ he gulped.

“But wait… how am I meant to get this into the apartment if you don’t want anyone to know…?” Annie pouted as she buckled everything back up.

“Ah, I already thought about that… if you take off all the gift wrap and carry the box in, you can just say it was delivered to the wrong apartment. You were going to buy yourself one anyway…” He shrugged whilst watching her, her smile fading as she agreed. He sighed and closed his eyes before explaining.

“I don’t want Britta to make a big deal out of it, because… it shouldn’t be a big deal. It’s a gift. You deserve it… and if I want to get you a gift, I should be able to get you a gift and it not have to… mean anything… not that it doesn’t mean anything,” he paused to look away, all of a sudden finding a brick in the wall in front of them the most fascinating thing in the world (which was ridiculous because even if he was trying to compose himself, he knew the most fascinating thing in the world was sat right beside him), “it… _does_ mean something…”

Annie could hear his voice drop mid-sentence.

“…but let’s not…” he shook his head, “that’s for another day.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

His hand was on its way to his car key but it froze mid-air as she spoke, slamming back down to his kneecap before his fingers went back to scratching at his beard.

“You’re important to me… right? You already know that, but… there’s no amount of gifts that will ever prove it, in fact, that backpack, doesn’t even mean anything. Do you want to know the real reason I got you that gift card? _Okay_ , it was _partly_ a distraction so it looked like I’d actually bought you something, but it was more of an excuse to just spend more time with you… because I know… that, I wasn’t really there last year… or, the year before that… and… I mean maybe I should have just been listening to Pierce the whole time?

You’re really just my favourite and you should know that.”

She was looking down at her hands doing that little twisted smile she did when she was genuinely happy about something… and she was. She was genuinely happy that Jeff had just admitted another thing – she was his favourite… there was no taking that back.

They smiled at each other for a moment, just letting things settle around them, until it was there again; the little drop of his eyes to her lips before he looked away, an unmissable glint in his eye as he did so.

“I think the only reason I’m your favourite is because I did your homework so many times in the past…”

“Ohhh… _that’s_ what it is. No wonder…” He grinned at her again before she picked up her ice cream cup and finished up the melted puddle that was now left inside.

“Britta just texted me… she said if we don’t come back with ice cream in the next five minutes, she’s going to let Chomsky tear up the apartment, ‘or worse’.”

* * *

 

It was the final day before Greendale broke up for the Christmas break and all everyone wanted to do was go back home and sleep for eternity because it was finally _over._ Jeff had planned on not even coming into work for the final day seeing as he didn’t really have any duties, but Annie had arranged an ‘urgent meeting’ with the Dean (also known as, Annie’s excuse to get everyone together for one last hurrah before the next semester – closure, as Abed would put it).

“So… I think that’s everything? We just need to make sure there’s a band put together or at least _something_ arranged for the Alumni Dance before we can start getting flyers made and emails sent to former students.” Jeff nodded sincerely as Annie clapped her hands together, receiving an applaud from the Dean.

“My word you guys… you’ve really helped, haven’t you? Jeffrey, you’re good with speeches… care to say something _dean_ lightful before we wrap everything up?” Craig placed a hand on Jeff’s shoulder as Jeff glanced over to Annie, rolling his eyes. She raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly, making him shake his head from side to side as he succumbed. He pushed out of his chair before shrugging off the hand that was still placed over his left arm.

“Okay well… erm… I guess, this is the end of this year… so… I should say something… end of the year-y? We… almost lost the school… but we _didn’t…_  we had to say goodbye to Shirley, _although_ we hope she’ll be back soon… we… threw an _amazing_ Halloween party… I mean, I can’t even _remember_ what we did at the start of the year it’s been that good… so… really… _”_ He paused to look around the table.

Annie had a raised eyebrow, Chang was already raring to leave the room, Abed was sat with his bag on his lap and Britta was tilting her head in disgust.

“Yeah that was terrible. Congratulations Annie for saving the school once again, Craig… you did whatever you did, and everyone else, well done for helping. Merry Christmas and let’s just get the hell out of here because that was the worst speech I’ve ever done.”

“Yup.” Everyone stood up and reached for their bags, the size and shape of Annie’s catching the attention of Britta from the corner of her eye.

“That’s a new backpack Annie… looks fancy… and like it’s come from a poorly treated and slaughtered animal.” Annie raised her eyebrows as she slipped her final arm into one of the straps, glancing over to Jeff who was standing with his phone in one hand, scrambling around with other around his neck, trying to slip his coat back on.

She nodded before picking up the rest of her belongings.

“Must have been pretty expensive… was it a gift…?” Britta pulled a long face, failing to _slyly_ tilt and roll her neck around in Jeff’s direction.

“Hmm? What? N-n-no, why would you think that? I… no.” Annie shook her head, flickering her eyelashes up, down, around and everywhere, trying to see if Jeff was listening in.

“I thought you were going to wait before buying a new one?”

She didn’t notice, but Jeff was looking up now, pausing to pout over the fact that it was just himself, Britta and Annie left in the room. Annie was glancing over her shoulder at her new backpack (which looked badass on her, if he was being honest).

“No… I… I…” She mumbled, looking up to Jeff, finally realising he was just stood there watching it all play out. He frowned questioningly before sliding his eyes over to Britta, his lips dropping open. He took a breath whilst looking up to the ceiling before blurting something out; something that Annie hadn’t expected him to say… even more unexpected than that throw-away compliment, that yeah, she _still_ hadn’t forgotten.

“I bought it.”

Britta jolted backwards with her arms crossed over her chest, the backs of her knees pushing against her chair where she hadn’t stood back from the desk.

“Huh. Interesting.”

“Why is that ‘interesting’?” Jeff shrugged.

“Pretty fancy gift.”

“It’s just a gift.” He shrugged again.

“If you say so.”

“It’s not…” Jeff glanced over to Annie before realising it wasn’t even worth arguing.

“See you all next week? New Year’s Eve, right?” Annie lifted a shoulder shyly before walking out the room, letting out a deep breath as she pushed through the doors to the parking lot, the cold sharp wind being a welcome refresher for a few moments, until it got too much, leaving her to pull the hood of her coat up, tight around her neck.

She found her car within a couple of minutes, pulling the door shut whilst shivering a little as she leant over to flick the heating on, only to remember it took five minutes for it to heat up one-degree warmer.

She glanced up whilst reversing, her fingers slipping slightly as she adjusted to the cold. She could see Jeff walking across the quad towards the other parking lot with a folder in his hand. Her heart jumped as some birds fluttered up around her car, making her stop and sit back for a moment. There was nobody around to get in her way or beep their horn at her car stalling, so she paused for a moment, her shoulders slumping as the heating finally started kicking in to a more comfortable temperature.

It was only then that she really sat back and let it all sit with her. The past few days had been slightly manic, getting all of her work together and sitting through finals, meaning that she’d let most of what had been happening around her, slip right over her head.

For once, whatever Jeff said (or did) went straight into one ear and out the other. For once she wasn’t filtering anything. She thought back to the bike in her mind; maybe the breaks had been fixed? At least temporarily.

Luckily the plan of not being sucked back into it all was working, mostly due to the fact it wasn’t exactly the greatest priority. She currently had her sights on an internship at the FBI headquarters, either in Denver or in Washington DC, but she was going to have to seriously prepare before she could even consider applying.

But then again, she couldn’t exactly ignore it all together.

_“Hey Annie? You look really pretty today.”_

_“…but it was more of an excuse to just spend more time with you.”_

_“You’re really just my favourite and you should know that.”_

_“I bought it.”_

If she’d known, she’d be extremely grateful that she hadn’t heard the conversation Jeff had been a part of whilst leaving the library block, Britta chirping away on his heels as he headed towards his office for the last time.

“So… you’re seriously keeping up this whole denying act, then?”

“The act of denying what?”

“I don’t know… that you’re in love with Annie or something.”

“I’m not denying anything.”

“So, you _are_ in love with her?”

He paused and turned as he pushed up the handle of his office door, locking it closed behind him.

“If I’m in love with her, I’m not going to tell you first.”

He gritted his teeth, his eyes not flinching from Britta’s eyesight as she squinted and rolled her tongue around the inside of her mouth, pushing it to either side of her cheeks.

“Huh.”

“Can I leave now, or are you going to interrogate me again?”

“You can leave…”

“Good.”

“Good.”

Jeff pushed past her towards the exit that crossed over the quad so he could finally buckle up in his car and whizz back home to indulge in some scotch and whatever festive films were on TV.

As he pushed through the doors, he scanned the area and spotted a car reversing, the engine sounding rather rickety as it started to disappear behind a van that was parked up beside it. He glanced back once more before heading inside up the staircase to his car, his throat burning up as he realised it was Annie looking back at him.

How was it even possible that she could make him feel _everything_ from a hundred yards away?

If walking away from Britta after not necessarily denying anything made his steps feel a little lighter, he wondered how much more free he’d feel if he just turned around, waved down her car and just _said_ it.

Weightlessness.  
_That’s_ how it would feel.  
The definition? A body (especially in an orbiting spacecraft) not apparently acted on by gravity.

 


	10. It Really Is Beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie gets tipsy, Jeff gets handsy.

It was a tough decision for Annie to decide on her favourite New Year’s Eve, but not for the best of reasons. You’d think that for someone who likes to set goals and aims, and has lists upon lists scattered around her room for what to do next, that she’d be sitting on her hands to stop herself from going overboard at the prospect of a ‘fresh new start’.

Instead, she usually started fretting over what she had and _hadn’t_ achieved over the past three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, and how she only had twenty-three days to go until her ‘I came out of rehab’ anniversary – which again, you’d presume would be happy and joyous occasion to celebrate. However, it tended to remind her of that whole miserable year of trying to rejuvenate herself and what her life could have been if she’d just taken those few pills less.

It was a more enjoyable time when her friends were around though, especially when they were all huddled into a booth in a fancy bar (luckily not The Vatican – Britta had the night off seeing as she’d been working more shifts than any of the other employees in order to get her rent money in), sipping at cocktails and enjoying the company as a heavy beated song pulsed through the room.

Even the Dean and Chang were there, purposely being seated on the edge of the booth so that nobody (specifically Jeff) was cornered by an ‘extremely-handsy-when-a-few-drinks-in Craig Pelton’ and a ‘should-not-be-allowed-to-drink-anything-over-0.5% Benjamin Chang’.

As Annie excused herself for the bathroom, it gave Jeff a chance to sit back and watch her walk away, attempting to conceal his stare by bringing the rim of his glass up to his lips, tilting his neck back to sip back a single drop of scotch that was rolling around at the bottom.

It was a rare sight to see Annie dressed up for evening. It came with the realisation that she could totally pull of being thirty-something due to the way she held herself, her chin up and her legs standing tall, being helped by a strappy pair of heels he’d never seen before – he gulped knowing the image wouldn’t be slipping from his mind anytime soon.

His mind fogged over a little as the music carried on pumping through the room, the vibrations running up through his feet as he carried on staring off into the distance. Annie was now out of sight, but apparently not to everyone, as Jeff continued thinking about the way her dress was clinging around all of her curves and how her hair blended into all of the fluid shapes that made up every part of her.

“Oh you’ve switched? Can I… sit here?” He blinked a couple of times, shook his head and looked up at Annie as she raised her eyebrows at the space to his right. _How long did it take her to go to the bathroom? She was barely in there for a second._

He finally sat up and thanked the lord that Britta was mid conversation with Abed who, indeed, had switched positions, leaving Jeff on his lonesome on one side of the table. He shook his head once more before responding.

“Err, yeah, sorry, yeah, sure.” He scooted over to the corner and allowed her to sit down beside him. She smiled before leaning over a little so Abed could pass over her drink, starting to sip through its straw almost immediately, leaving Jeff silent again, biting at the edge of his thumbnail as he bounced his knees up and down.

A cough came from the other side of the table, making everyone stop and turn towards the Dean who was sitting up, a hand to his chest as he scanned the group.

“Do you have something to say… or… are you just coughing?” Jeff was the first to ask, noticing Annie nod, wanting to ask the same question.

“I have something to talk to you all about… I know it’s not ‘school time’ or anything but seeing as you’re all here… well…” He nodded his head side to side, licked his lips and continued, “…I wanted to know what your opinion is on hiring a couple of new helping hands… and by a couple I mean, just the two… Greendale, erm, doesn’t quite have the budget for more than that, but I wanted to know what you guys, as a committee, think first.”

Annie slowly put her glass down on the table, her lips twisting as her eyebrows scrunched inwards, taking in the new information that somebody from ‘the outside’ might be coming in.

“Well… for you? Not the committee? Because we’re fine right, we’re fine. We don’t really _need_ a helping hand and if Greendale doesn’t have the funds, then there’s no real point in going ahead with hiring new pe-.” She stopped mid ramble as she felt a weight on her thigh, just above her knee. She looked down and saw Jeff’s hand, it was motionless for a moment until his thumb started brushing up and down, making a lump catch in her throat as goose bumps spread up her spine.

“I think if you’re considering it, then at least take time to think it all through. It doesn’t seem like a _terrible_ idea. Having someone come in who is _genuinely_ trained in providing professional advice and services, could _actually_ be a valid idea. I’m in.” Jeff shrugged his shoulders before slouching back, keeping his hand where he’d placed it.

“Yeah whatever.” Britta popped the beer bottle she was drinking out from her lips as she agreed.

“It would be an interesting addition to our storyline, seeing as the only people outside of Greendale we’ve been introduced to as a whole group are related to us in some way. I’m in.” Abed nodded with a smile before dropping his gaze to where Jeff’s hand was concealed under the table.

“If they get added into your little ‘group’ immediately, then I _quit_. I had to wait _five_ years until I was fully accepted, how is that fair?” Everyone groaned as Chang circled a finger in the air, landing it on the waitress who had decided to saddle up to their booth at that precise moment.

“Can I get you guys anything else?”

Jeff nodded as he passed over his glass for a refill, everyone else but Annie ordering a second drink. He clenched his teeth before speaking with his face to the side, peering out the corner of his eye as everyone started mumbling between themselves again.

“Are you sure you don’t want another drink?”

“Hmm? No, I’m fine.” He watched as her eyes dropped down to his hand again, making him follow. He stopped brushing his thumb as she turned away, making him bite his lip.

“Are you okay?” His voice gave her the chills as he moved in closer, the movement pulling her down slightly as the padded seat creased beneath them.

“Annie… are you seriously upset over the Dean _hiring_ someone?” Her hair whipped in his face as she turned towards him again, making him inch back as he realised how cosy in the corner they actually were.

“What? No… no… I just don’t think we _need_ help, but I’m not upset. I’m fine. This music is just really loud.”

Jeff smirked before pulling his new glass of scotch towards him, the waitress wondering into the crowds of people standing up in the middle of the room.

“Do you want some?” He nudged his glass against her arm.

“What?”

“You didn’t get a drink. It’s New Year’s Eve, you’ve got lighten up a little bit.”

“You want me to lighten up?”

He shrugged before letting the glass slip from his fingers as she brought it up to her lips and gulped back what must have been at least half the glass.

“Holy… you can drink that?”

“I’ve had scotch before Jeff. I’d rather _not_ drink it but you were the one telling me to.”

“You didn’t actually _have_ to. Now I’m the one to blame if you end up getting drunk.”

“I’m not going to get drunk on one small cocktail and half a glass of scotch, Jeff.”

“Hmmm, that’s what they all say.” She squinted with a smile before sliding her purse on to her lap, pulling out her phone to check the time. Nineteen minutes until midnight.

“I don’t believe in putting expectations upon yourselves, but… I guess out of tradition… what’s everyone’s New Year’s resolutions?” Britta asked, raising her voice over the hustle and bustle of the bar that was now overflowing with parties and crowds.

“Do you believe in _anything?_ ” Jeff’s thumb returned to its pathway across Annie’s dress as he asked, his chuckle making his hand slip a little so he was cupping her knee, his fingers tapping against the hem of her dress that was slowing pinging up to reveal her bare skin.

“I asked a question jackass.”

“Oof. Well okay then… erm…” He glanced at Annie who was looking up at him with wide eyes. She looked like she was listening intently, but really she was fighting the urge to brush his hand off of her knee, mainly because she knew if her hand clasped around his, she’d hold it there and never let go.

“I don’t really have one… actually, no, I don’t know, I guess…” _Why do you keep looking at me?_  Annie raised her eyebrows, realising that everyone’s eyes were on them.

“Let things happen. That’s my resolution. I’m just going to let things happen.”

“Oh come on, that’s terrible. Aren’t you meant to say something like… I want to climb a mountain?”

“Okay fine then Britta. I’ll let things happen _and_ I’ll climb a mountain.”

“Aren’t you kind of held to that now…?” Annie tilted her head. He mirrored her before rolling his eyes and listening in on everyone else’s goals for 2015.

“I’m going to finally quit my job. I’ll become an assistant or something… to a therapist… a therapist’s assistant. That’s what I’m going to do.”

“Aww Britta!”

Jeff leant his head back against the padded board behind him, looking to his right, over Annie’s shoulder to the crowd that was standing in front of a projector screen, a timer ticking down the minutes.

“3 minutes!” A group of people cried out, holding up beer bottles and swaying slightly, pulling others with them.

“Okay, who’s coming?” Britta stood up and scooted past Craig and Chang, holding out a hand for Abed who was following behind.

“Jeffrey?” Craig asked as he stood up too, tilting his head.

“Nah, I’m good.” Jeff scrunched up his nose whilst waving a hand before tuning to see that Annie was still there. Oh, and his hand was too.

“You’re not going?”

“Well I _would_ but my leg is being held down.”

Jeff licked his lips before removing his hand, leaving Annie’s leg feeling rather bare and open.

“You can leave.”

After watching him hang his head down and swirl around the remainders of his second glass of scotch, she spotted Britta and Abed in the crowd, watching the clock tick down to fifty-nine seconds… fifty-eight…

“I’ll stay.”

He rested his arms on the table, and rolled his glass between his palms. Before Greendale, New Year’s would have been a time to flirt with a girl at the bar, count down the seconds, pull her across into his lap, moan into her mouth and drive her home (or not even home, they’d end up in the back of his Lexus if she was really lucky); but now he was sat at a table with Annie by his side, his hands _shaking_ goddammit because he wasn’t entirely sure what to do next.

“Okay, I’m stretching out.”

“What?”

He watched as she turned in the seat, her back facing him as she kicked her legs up in front of her, _stretching out_ as it seemed.

“You’re _weird_ when you’re drunk.”

“I thought you said I was crazy?”

He shook his head and smiled, before realising there was only twenty seconds to go.

He pushed himself right into the corner of the booth before reaching out his hands and pulling Annie up under the arms. She yelped before slouching into his chest, raising an eyebrow as she looked up at him.

“What? If you’re going to stretch out like a pregnant lady, you may as well go all the way and get comfortable.”

“Erm… what pregnant ladies do you know of which go to bars on New Year’s Eve?”

As he shrugged she was pulled up with him, his left hand dropping to her waist. She traced her eyes up his arm, following the curve and wrinkles of the navy flannel fabric that covered it.

“I like your shirt.”

She could feel him tilt his head from behind her, knowing that he was flashing that pouting, pulled down face of his.

“I guess I’ll have to wear it more often then.”

“Five…” The bar erupted as the final countdown began.

“Four…” Jeff joined in, slipping his right hand over Annie’s shoulder so he could sit up more, ready to ring in the New Year, fuelled by scotch and a buzzing feeling that was running from his fingertips to his toes.

“Three…” Annie glanced to his hand that was on her waist, biting her lip as she realised she was slipping. She mentally grabbed the helmet off of her handlebars (she was still using the bike as a coping mechanism – it worked well somehow), but Jeff’s words rang through her mind… _let things happen._

“Two!”

“One!”

So she did; she slipped her fingers between his and leant back even further, his chin resting on the side of her head.

“Happy New Year!”

Cheers came from the bar and suddenly everyone was singing and cheering and it felt rather bizarre just being sat at the back in amongst it all.

“Happy New Year.” He mumbled against her hair, flicking their tangled hands up and down.

“I think I might be a _tiny_ bit tipsy.” Annie held her spare hand up to signal how ‘tipsy’ she was,

“Congratulations on celebrating your first drunk New Year’s… oh hey everyone, look, Annie’s drunk.” She rolled her eyes as the group joined them, slamming back down in their places.

“Did you two finally make out?” Britta asked sloppily, throwing a peanut into her mouth.

“Jeffrey!” The Dean covered his mouth in shock as Jeff crossed his head in confusion.

“Nobody made out with anybody.”

Annie shook her head in agreement, actually feeling rather relieved that that wasn’t the case. If Jeff were to ever kiss her again, she’d want to remember it with a clear mind and without Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ blaring in the background.

“So who’s, erm, who’s paying?” Craig scratched behind his ear, wobbling his glasses about.

“Oh, would you look at the time? Ha, I best get going.” Jeff pushed up carefully, holding Annie up in a sitting position as she yawned. _Note to self – Annie’s sleepy when two drinks in._

“Hey!” Everyone cried as he pushed past people dancing, leaving the group behind to squabble over who pays what.

Annie pouted.

“I was comfy.”

* * *

 

Twenty-three days into January, and only a couple of days into the semester, the last thing Jeff expected was to walk into his office and find Annie sat in one of the chairs, her feet tucked up underneath herself as she wiped away a tear on her cheek.

Thinking about it afterwards, perhaps he _should_ have expected the change. Everything had been fine and dandy after New Year’s, with the group hanging out most days until school started up again. They’d been to ‘The Frozen Cone’ again (they now had, what Abed would call, ‘headcanons’ for ‘Kyle’ - one of the workers) and subconsciously slipped their fingers together in his car, fiddling with each other’s hands across the centre console (he’d started to crave the physical contact, especially when he knew that Annie was down for it, even if it was just hand… stuff).

But then she’d started to get quieter. She’d brushed off another Frozen Cone trip, she’d locked herself in her room on a movie night hosted by Abed, and she’d cancelled the first committee meeting of the year. So yeah, he really should have expected it.

“Annie?” He stood back as he closed his office door behind him, frowning as she breathed in a sob through her nose, quickly brushing a hand across her face as she jolted upright.

“Hmm? Oh sorry, I just needed a moment so I came here… I didn’t really want to lock myself in a storage closet… I’m not even _sure_ what kind of chemicals I’d be inhaling.”

He watched her unfold herself and stand up, her hair dropping in her face as she attempted to move past him.

“I don’t think it’s much better in here anyway… and… hey… hey, what’s up? What’s going on?”

He held a hand up as she shrugged with wide eyes that were puffed up around the edges, a couple of tear stains marking down her cheeks.

“Nothing, I’m fine… I shouldn’t have come in here. I’ll leave, you probably have work to do.”

“What? No, I finished all of my classes, I came in to grab my coat.” She nodded whilst forcing out a smile which shakily broke out into a whimper.

“Hey, Annie, come on, what’s going on? Technically I can’t force you to tell me, but you are in my office and… are you crying? Why are you crying? Please don’t cry.” He closed his eyes before letting her fall forward, his arms circling her as he looked towards the ceiling.

She pulled away after a minute, rolling her eyes at herself whilst letting out a deep sigh.

“It’s really pathetic… I shouldn’t have come in here. I didn’t mean for you to walk in and have it loaded on you.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not pathetic… and trust me, it’s not a big deal. Think about how many times I’ve loaded all of _my_ issues on you.”

“Yeah but at least they’re _valid._ ”

“How is this not valid?”

“Because I should be happy, right? Today marks six years since I left rehab, but instead of congratulating myself… I’m sat in your office _crying.”_

“Why… is that a _bad_ thing?”

“Because! Because… when I came out, I didn’t have a family anymore? Because I start freaking out about everything I _have_ and haven’t done… because I start thinking about _what if?_ I just wish I didn’t have a reminder of it every year, but it’s pretty hard to forget coming out of a rehab clinic and having nobody there to take you home… and home? I didn’t even have one.” She threw her hands in the air, closing her eyes to laugh under her breath as Jeff swallowed, his mind racing, going through as many ideas of how to make her feel better as possible.

Before speaking he reached out a hand, placing the tips of his fingers on the top of her left arm. He sighed when she flinched and sunk back down into the chair behind her.

“You need to make a new memory. Something that will replace the old one… twenty-third of January… you can…” His mind raced again before a mental image of a lightbulb went off against his head. He clicked a finger and pointed at her.

“Do you have a coat?” She scrunched up her face in confusion.

“Do I have a _coat?_ How is that going to help me?”

“I don’t really know but just trust me on this one.” He held out his hand for her to take, finally seeing her give in as she rolled her neck around and pulled herself up, steadying her other hand on his shoulder.

“It’s getting dark outside… what are you going to do, murder me?” He tilted his head and tried not to smile as she spoke in an adorable mumble.

“No, I’m not going to murder you. Never murder someone in forensics… they know people.” He winked before pulling her towards the door, remembering to grab his own coat just in the nick of time.

* * *

 

“Where the _hell_ are we going? You’ve been driving for half an hour already and I’m _pretty_ sure that’s a snow cloud.” She pointed out the passenger window, squinting as she tried to work out whether it _was_ a snow cloud, or whether the darkening sky was playing tricks on her.

“We’re making you a new memory.” She sighed again as he turned off, the lights of the city and surrounding towns becoming smaller and smaller as he kept the car turning up what seemed to be an extremely steep incline.

“Luckily, we timed this perfectly because the sun is setting and when we get to wear we’re going… it should be worth it.”

“Are you sure you still want to give _me_ the crazy label?”

“Hmm, no take backs I’m afraid.”

They drove for another fifteen minutes until they reached a rocky track that was sprinkled with patches of snow. For Annie, when there wasn’t snow in Greendale, getting out and seeing it elsewhere was always welcome as a nice reminder as to where she was really situated. They past a sign for some sort of lake, in which Jeff followed, signalling to turn right into a gravel parking lot, home to two other cars.

He switched the engine off, climbed out the car and waited for her to catch up as he walked towards a footpath.

“Are you _ever_ going to tell me where we’re going?” He was walking backwards, holding his hands out for balance as he slipped around on the crumbling stones beneath him.

“You know how at New Year Britta said I have to climb a mountain? Well… we’re climbing a mountain.”

“What? I know this is _technically_ a mountain, but I’m _pretty_ sure you have to have months of training to actually hike up one of these things.”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t need to know that. There’s a lake up here… it’s supposed to be pretty big and have an awesome view or something. I don’t know, maybe it’s memory making. It’s the first thing that came to mind.”

“You know you’re really dorky, right?” Annie stood with her hands on her hips to take a breather as they rounded a corner.

“You know you’re really sad when you should be happy, right?” He tilted his head and held out a hand so she could pull herself over a rock, tugging slightly so she would purposely fall towards him.

It took them five minutes to reach it, the _it_ being the lake Jeff had spoken about, and _boy,_ maybe he was right? It _was_ something, for sure.

“How do you know about this place?” They stood side by side, squinting as they adjusted to the light again, the sun fading rapidly now, leaving them in almost pitch black, only the city lights below them shining out like glow worms, flashing in and out as people got on with their night lives.

Jeff scratched his bottom lip with his teeth, before looking to the floor.

“I, erm, I guess I kind of lied… I’ve been here before… I came here with my dad once.”

Annie pulled in her own bottom lip as she felt it quiver, her whole stomach dropping as he spoke.  He faced her, pointing his fingers into the corners of his coat pockets so they pointed outwards in V shapes.

“I know you’re not going to make a new memory… but I guess that’s why I came here… because… it’s the same for me… every year. I can’t forget the day he left. August thirteenth... and that was twenty-nine years ago. You’ll never forget it, but, luckily with what _you’re_ trying to forget, you can celebrate it.

You got out… you wouldn’t be standing here if you hadn’t. You wouldn’t be here… I…” He paused as he felt his own stomach drop. Annie could feel a tear burning on her water line, waiting to fall as he finished his sentence. “I… wouldn’t have met you.” It fell as she closed her eyes and stepped forward, pressing her cheek up against his chest as he held on tight, and yeah, he really was dorky because now he was staring up at the sky, holding his eyes wide open so that none of his own tears would escape. _Man up, you idiot._

“Dear _lord_ we’re a mess.” He chuckled into her hair, his laugh erupting through his whole body, his shoulders shrugging up and down as he brushed a hand up and down her arm. She smiled and wiped away her tears before stepping back and smiling into the darkness.

 _“Yeah…_ ” She whispered.

“I know you can’t make a memory to replace the one from today, but honestly… go out and do something another day to make up for it. What have you never done before because you’ve been too scared? Let me guess… kill a spider?” He scrunched up his nose to tease her, watching her stick her tongue to her cheek through squinted eyes.

She racked her brain for anything truly significant before realising they were in the midst of a light hearted, ‘we’re both as bad as each other’ moment… meaning she could probably tease him to lighten things up even further.

“Erm… well…” She turned and faced the water in front of them that was lapping up at the rocks surrounding it, in the breeze.

“I guess I’ve always been a little nervous to have a bikini wax.”

He was certain his eyes had just crossed and switched places as she swung back on her feet, the expression on her face deadly serious.

 _“What the…_ why the _hell_ would you say that? I don’t want to _freaking_ know, you weirdo. What is up with you today? First of all, you’re crying in my office and now you’re telling me _very_ intimate details. I don’t… _never_ want to know about that.” She was still rocking back and forth on her heels as he shrieked, throwing his hands up all over the place.

“Wait… oh my god, you’re messing with me, aren’t you?” She smiled bashfully at the ground, looking away as he has cursed under his breath.

“I meant more like _sky diving_ … why would you say that?”

“Because I was trying to lighten the mood!”

“The mood was light enough!”

“We were talking about your dad… I know you don’t want to be talking about that.”

“Well I _don’t_ want to be talking about _that_ either.”

She leant her head against his arm as he pulled her in again, his hand resting on her shoulder as he they stood and took in the view.

“I’ll win back the conversation… it really is beautiful.”

Anyone would have to be blind to notice that Jeff’s eyes didn’t leave Annie as she looked out over the rocky hills in front of them.

“Yeah… it really is.”

He risked a kiss to her temple as they stood there, taking in the silence for a moment before he cringed, his mind wandering off into places it probably shouldn’t be.

“Ugh, I’m thinking about that bikini wax thing again...” He shook his head before letting go, leaving Annie to lead the way back down the track. Their voices trailed off as they walked, leaving the empty waters behind them.

“I mean, if you’re genuinely serious, I do know a guy.”

“Oh my god… I was _joking!_ That’s _gross…_ do you _want_ me to push you off this cliff?”

“You wouldn’t even be able to.”

“Oh, I bet you I could.”

“I’m not making a bet on that, although I will make a bet on being able to push you off this cliff using just a finger.”

“Fine, try me.”

“Okay fine, stand still.”

“I’m standing.”

“Hmphf… ugh, fine… wait, you mean there’s _actually_ strength in that tiny body of yours?”

“Haha, very funny.”

“I mean, look your hands are tiny compared to mine.”

“No, yours are just huge.”

“Indeed they are. They have many uses.”

“Ew, gross, get off you pig… ew.”

“Hey wait up, come here.”

“What?”

“Take a picture.”

“It’s too dark and you’re way too tall…”

“Heh, you say I’m a pig and then, oh look, you’re holding my hand again.”

“Only for balance…”

“Sure.”

“I don’t remember the track being this long on the way up, are you sure we didn’t pass your car already? My legs hurt.”

“Aw, do you need me to carry you?”

“No… ah! Jeff! Put me down!”

“No, look, just hold on, I’ll put you on my shoulders.”

“Jeff! Stop! Okay, don’t you _dare_ trip over, otherwise the idea of you murdering me will become true.”

“I’m not going to trip over… and I’m definitely not going to let you die.”

“It’s kind of cold up here… is it hard being this tall? Does the wind get in your face more often?”

“Haha… hey, take my phone. Take a picture of the view. I have to prove to Britta I climbed a mountain.”

“I don’t want to drop it… if I drop it, it’s your responsibility.”

“Annie, if I don’t trip over, then you can’t drop it. It’s called trust; do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you.”

“Yeah, well… I trust you too.”


	11. Not Knowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie's ready to let Jeff be her hero.

“Okay so we finally have a DJ for the Alumni Dance which is in just over two weeks’ time, meaning I can get the flyers printed and ready. I’ll give you all a bunch to dot around campus once I have my hands on them. I’ve sent out emails to some of the more recent graduates but there hasn’t been much luck form the older ones, hence why we’re putting flyers up for everybody else.

The Dean has given me a message to pass on, to let you all know that _after_ the dance, he's really cracking down on his idea of hiring some new committee members…” Annie paused to roll her eyes, ignoring Jeff’s tilt of the head out of the corner of her eye, “…so just make sure you’re all prepared for that.”

“Is there going to be a new Shirley? Do I have to move chairs? I hope not because I’ve really started to imprint my _groove_ into this cushion.” Chang swirled around in his seat, causing everyone to look away as he carried on ‘imprinting’.

“Nobody’s going to replace Shirley, okay? Nobody’s replacing anybody. We didn’t replace Pierce, did we?”

“You’re not meant to replace _dead_ people Jeff, that’s tacky and immoral.” Britta folded her arms across the table, as he scrunched in his eyebrows, turning his sight back on Annie.

“And, I think that’s all.” Annie smiled brightly before closing up her fuzzy binder to slip into her backpack. She didn’t pull it on to her shoulders though, she brought out her laptop instead, opening it up as everyone pushed out of their chairs.

“What are you doing?” Jeff asked from the door once everyone had left, a hand on the side of the window pane, as he stood half in, half out.

“Hmm? Oh, I’m finishing something up before I go home. I kind of want a break from working in the apartment because not only do I end up getting distracted by Abed and Britta, but I also end up never actually stepping back and taking a break… so, I’m doing it here.” Jeff nodded with a pout before signalling a goodbye, pulling out his phone as he headed back to his office.

He finished up his papers, taking an hour or so to flick through the pages of typed up writing, circling errors in a red pen, adding some notes in green. After holding the marked sheets down with a paperweight, he stood back from his desk and shuffled over to the filing cabinet behind him, reaching out to left hand side to grab hold of his golf club bag. He’d yet to make use of them, and with the warmer (by a slight degree) late March weather starting creep in, the rest of the late afternoon felt like a perfect opportunity to do so – Greendale had a driving range after all.

He tugged the bag along behind him, locked up his office and walked back down the corridor, passing the study room along the way, not expecting to find Annie still sat typing away at her keyboard.

“You play golf now?” She was looking up from her screen as he walked past, barely raising her voice loud enough for him to hear.

“Huh?” He leant back on a foot before standing in the doorway.

“I said, since when do you play golf?” She tilted her head and pointed the pencil that was in her hand towards his set of clubs.

“Oh, err, well I don’t exactly play properly or anything… more for fun. I treated myself to some new clubs for my birthday.”

“You mean you _actually_ did something to celebrate it?” She dropped her mouth open in fake horror, making him smirk in amusement.

“How are you _still_ working? I thought you were going home to have a break.” Annie sighed before pressing down the mouse on her laptop, stretching out a hand to pull the lid closed.

“I’m finished now. I was just checking over all of my CV… I’m getting ready to apply for this big internship, so I wanted to make sure it was perfect.”

“That took you an _hour?”_

She rolled her eyes, tapping her pencil against the side of the table.

“Okay fine, I may have been distracted by a home décor sale online but… I got it finished. What are you still doing here, besides golf?”

“Marking papers… speaking of golf – do you want to come play? I can show you the ropes.”

She stood up, flicking a piece of hair out of her face as she stuffed everything back in to her bag, carefully buckling it up, making sure she didn’t scrape the leather.

“I’m pretty sure I know how to play golf Jeff. Don’t you just hit the ball into a hole, or something?”

“Pffft, no.” Jeff pulled in his chin as she walked towards him, her laptop in hand as she held her own chin up high, a smug look on her face.

“I’ll come and play but I _bet_ you, you won’t have to be showing me any kind of rope.”

* * *

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually been down here.” Annie pointed across the grass in front of them as Jeff pulled out a variety of different clubs, trying to work out which one would be small enough for her petite frame, other than the putter.

“Here, take this one.” She took the club from his hand and spun it around a couple of times, making Jeff cringe with uneasiness as she almost whacked herself in the knees.

“Okay, show me what you’ve got.” She stuck her tongue out before turning around, shimmying on the spot a little before holding two hands firmly on the club, looking up and down before swinging up and around, watching the ball ping through the air for less than five seconds before it shot right back down to earth. It landed less than two metres away from where they were standing.

Before she’d even faced him, he’d started slow clapping and whistling sarcastically.

“Annie Edison, America’s next top female golfer.”

She picked up the ball and dropped it back down into his hand before watching him position himself. She noticed how his tongue poked out between his lips as he concentrated on the mark he was aiming for. After a couple of practice swings, he finally whipped it over his shoulder and whacked the ball in the right direction, leaving them to both stand back until it landed. It wasn’t a perfect shot seeing as he was no professional, but it left Annie feeling slightly dumbfounded.

“I’m pretty sure I know how to play golf Jeff… don’t you just hit a ball in a hole, blah, blah, blah.” He waggled his hand around in her face as she crossed over her arms and followed him over the green towards where it had landed.

“You can putt it, and I can show you how.”

“Oh come on, I can _putt_ it. It’s like mini golf, you just tap it in at the end.”

“Like _mini golf?”_

“I don’t even know why you’re trying to prove me wrong, seeing as you ‘don’t properly play’.”

“Because you’re doing that!” He watched her as she lined herself up once again, the putting club in her hand this time, looking more in proportion to the previous one. She had her legs too close together (exactly how you _would_ have them whilst playing mini golf) and her hands too far up.

“Okay, I’m coming in and making a _totally_ cliché move. Abed would be disappointed in me.” Annie frowned questioningly as she focused on the hole in front of her, the flag fluttering about in the wind, causing a distraction as Jeff moved in, pressing up behind her to reposition her hands.

Her neck stiffened immediately as he leaned in, too close for her to notice the smile spreading across his face as he watched her react. She turned her neck to face him more clearly, watching his smile smooth over as his eyes dropped to where they tended to belong recently. He parted his lips and for a second she thought he was actually going to do what she’d been waiting ~~weeks~~ years for him to do. Instead he spoke, gazing down at his hands which were covering her own.

“You have to move them apart, but only marginally… see, you’re already there, and tilt yourself around so your feet are like this.” He pointed a finger to his own feet as he slid his hands around her hips, trying to position her correctly.

“And then when you’re putting, just test it a few times, but only really gently, keeping your eye on the line between the ball and hole, then tap it in, but give it a little bit of pressure. Okay?” She nodded nervously, worried that a squeak had escaped her as he let go, standing back to watch her first attempt. It wasn’t a bad try, but the aim was a little off and she’d probably have to take another two shots to finally get it in.

“Look, look, look. Come over here again.” Jeff waved her over to the ball, re-placing himself behind her so he could support her next shot, his hands clasped around her wrists as she aimed it up.

“Ready?” He breathed against her neck and was it just her, or had the wind dropped and had it all of a sudden become rather humid? He pulled her arms up slightly, letting her pull back just enough until he guided her arms back down, both of them watching the ball spin and drop down into the hole. Annie smiled shyly, hiding an eye roll under her lashes as she continued to let Jeff hold her close.

“Should probably go get that ball.” He nodded his head towards the flag, letting her loose to bend down and retrieve it, holding it up in the air proudly.

“I _did_ it…” She waved it in the air, making him laugh before he plucked it from her fingertips.

“No help at all. Such a natural.” He grinned before it was wiped straight off of his face, the ball dropping from his hands as they found themselves around her waist once again, her foot catching on the hole, sending her flying backwards.

Her arms flailed in the air before he caught her, his chest raising and lowering as he caught up with the pace at which he’d moved to save her. _Save her?_ He disguised a laugh within his breaths.

“You okay?” She nodded before lifting up a hand to his own that had removed itself from her back, giving it a sharp tug so he’d fall forwards, joining her on the ground, his body covering over her completely.

“What did you do that for?”

“Payback.”

“Payback for what?”

“For letting me fall in a hole.”

“Oh, I’m sorry you’re so small that you can fit in a hole the size of a golf ball… wah, wah, what am I meant to be, your hero or something?”

“Yeah, have you not heard the song? _Jeff Winger, hero at golf, best golfer you ever saw! Hero to Annie, defender of… golf tees?”_ Jeff groaned as he rolled off to the side, the flag pole dividing them, but their hands still intertwined – _yeah, that was still happening._

“Ugh, never sing that again.”

“What? It was a _great_ rendition and you know it.”

They smiled at one and other for a moment before looking up at the sky that was dimming, their hands falling to the grass as they just sat and listened to the silence of nature, with the odd car engine breaking up the peace every now and again.

A bird flew above and in that moment, they both turned, in sync, towards each other. All Annie could think was, _this would be a really great time to kiss me,_ and all Jeff could think was, _I really want to kiss you but I really don’t want to screw it up… and there’s a pole in-between us so I’d probably end up ruining a moment that should have happened years ago._

“Sorry kids, range is closing now, you’ve got to head on home.” One of the members of staff appeared out of nowhere, towering over them, meaning not only was there a pole blocking the moment, but there was also a man, who must have been even shorter than Annie, in their way. Their hands broke apart as they sat up and brushed any grass off of their clothes, Jeff mumbling something about being forty-one as the ‘Head of Golf’ (it was on the back of his jacket) walked off towards the start.

Annie sighed as Jeff packed everything back up, the silence between them returning until Jeff zipped up a final compartment on his bag and suggested something.

“Do you want to go and get a drink? I know this bar which isn’t far from your place… I don’t know… I know you said you wanted a break...” She pouted to the ground with a nod, before a spark in her eye appeared.

“Last one back has to pay?”

“Seriously? You’re obviously going… to win… because I have to carry a bag…” Jeff trailed off as she sprinted towards the gate of the range. He patted around his back pocket to double check he had his wallet on him, before pushing on forward to catch up.

* * *

 

They were sat at the bar together, Jeff’s legs balanced on the bottom of his stool, his feet tucked in so they didn’t swing into Annie’s which were crossed over, nowhere near reaching the floor. Jeff was circling a finger around the rim of his glass as Annie explored the room with her eyes, glancing away when a guy winked at her from the dingy corner by the bathrooms. She sat up a little straighter and rattled her nails against the side, the stickiness of the polished wood reminding her of Troy’s birthday that one year, and the discovery of Shirley’s past experiences.

“Do you miss Shirley?” Annie turned in her seat, her back now facing the ‘winker’ who had definitely not stopped looking at her.

“Do I miss Shirley? Yeah, of course I do. Why? You’re not thinking about that whole replacing thing are you?” She spun the plastic mixer in her drink around a couple of times before twisting her lips to the side.

“No… not really, but maybe it just reminded me that we haven’t spoken to her that much. Have you?”

Jeff swallowed some scotch before replying, thinking back to their last phone call which had been a day or two after Christmas.

“Not really to be honest. I should probably call her again, see how’s she’s getting on.” Annie nodded in agreement.

“Yeah me too, I’ve just been really busy with all of this internship stuff, I’ve hardly had the chance for anything. I’ve probably been hanging out with you the most…” Jeff turned to read her expression, but struggled to as she moved her nose around to scratch it.

“If you’re fed up with me, then let me know sooner rather than later.”

“No… it’s fine, I’m enjoying it… this… us, whatever, I don’t know… I should probably be spending more time with Abed and Britta… especially Abed. Have you heard that he’s been applying for a job in LA?”

“No… I heard a little bit of something but LA? Wow.”

“Yeah, I’m actually really proud of him. He’s really stepping out of his comfort zone and just _going_ for it. I think it would be good for him. And Britta… well, I should probably be spending more time with her seeing as we’re meant to be ‘sister friends’, especially when I might be going away too.”

Jeff took a handful of peanuts from the jar in front of him before swallowing them uncomfortably. _Wait, what?_

“Wh… where, wh… I didn’t realise your internship was… outside of Colorado…”

She turned and watched him, his face contorted as he awaited an answer. She gulped before slowly parting her lips, the realisation hitting her that Jeff had no idea that she might be away for the summer… just when things were starting to patch up between them.

“Well… I might not be, but, wait have I told you _anything_ about it? The FBI headquarters in Denver has an internship program, but they also have one in DC, so… I’m applying for both. The interview is in Denver, but if I get in, then, DC might be my home for the summer.”

_Annie. Home. Going away. Summer. FBI._

“The FBI? Annie that’s… that’s _huge._ I mean… no, I didn’t know. That’s incredible.” He shook his head, surprising himself that he was in shock about the news, even though she’d been dropping hints for months.

“I mean, DC, yeah, you should totally go for that. That’s huge… I’m… congratulations.”

“Well, I haven’t sent my application in yet, so let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.”

“Yeah but come on… you’re going to get it… and go to DC and…”

He was shaking his head dizzyingly, frowning into his glass as he gulped back the last drops, motioning to the bartender for another. She watched as he fell silent, his knee starting to bounce up and down at the same pace as his jaw that was clenching, his hands tightening around his new glass.

_She’s going to leave before I even tell her I love her. She’s going to realise what a piece of crap I am and how much better she could do… not that she’s doing anything because I haven’t fucking nutted up and told her. The one person I thought I had left is going to leave, and there’s no doubt about it, because she’s Annie and she’s not going to get rejected for something as big as this… as big as her._

_I can’t tell her now, can I? Because that’s selfish. I can’t hold her back because then I’ll be the bad guy who stopped her from doing what she wants to do… which I wouldn’t do anyway. I’d follow her to the moon and back if I had to. I’d do anything, I’d…_

“Jeff?”

He blinked away what must have been a piece of dust before glancing at her shyly.

“Abed just texted me… I totally forgot but I’m meant to be going over something with him, it’s part of his movie that he has to have for his interview… do you mind? I’ll walk home, it’s only two minutes so I’m fine.”

He clenched his teeth before taking a deep breath.

“Yeah… yeah sure. Are you sure you don’t want a lift?”

She shook her head adamantly before taking her coat off the back of the stool she was sat on, pressing up on her tippy toes to wrap an arm around his neck. He inhaled the perfume that was spritzed against her skin, holding her close until she pulled away, flicking up her eyebrows to search his eyes.

“Hey Annie?” He called out, before she walked too far.

“Yeah?”

“If you ever need a study break again, just let me know.”

“I will… thanks.” She smiled brightly this time, a smile full of genuine appreciation – a smile that was meant for being contagious, because she knew he needed it.

He closed his eyes and sighed before looking up at the bartender who was watching him whilst cleaning up dirty glasses.

“I think your date just walked out on you.” Jeff snorted.

“She’s not my date.”

“You mean; you’re not doing anything with that?” The bartender nodded towards the door that was swinging closed. Jeff watched before shaking his head.

“Why not? She’s… she’s something.”

“You don’t think I know that? I’d _marry_ that woman. I’d do the whole roses and champagne thing… everything.”

As the bartender shifted and turned around to place a glass back on its shelf, he laughed.

“I think you might have missed your chance with that one.”

Jeff bit his lip and felt the same pang in his stomach as he had before the summer had started; the moment when she’d looked him in the eyes and told him (well, practically told him straight) that she was moving on.

She hadn’t told him that she might be leaving; she hadn’t told him that vital piece of information that could change _everything._

“Yeah, I don’t need reminding.”

He chewed at a fingernail before sliding his glass back towards the bar, flicking his chin up to signal yet another.

“You really know how to sell a drink, don’t you?”

* * *

 

Annie pushed through the door of Apartment 303, her head down at her phone to let Jeff know she was home safe (he’d undoubtedly end up worrying all night if not), looking up to find Britta and Abed sat at the table, Abed’s laptop to one side as they dug into what looked like veggie lasagne.

“Hey, sorry I’m late. I’m still on for helping you Abed, I just had to…” She waved her hand and phone in the air, trying to think of what to say, “…yeah.”

Britta snorted as she dropped her fork to her plate, tapping a finger in front of Abed to get his attention.

“How’s Jeff?” Britta faced Annie again once she knew Abed was listening.

“What… how, what do you mean?”

“Ugh come on. Who else are you going to be going out with?

“I might have been on a date… what makes you think I was with Jeff?”

“A date with Jeff? It wouldn’t be surprising. You two have been hanging out a lot recently, and you made pancakes this morning which suggests you’re at the same level of happiness you are when you’re in a fully-fledged relationship.”

Annie slumped on the spot, leaning on one leg as she glared at them both.

“Why do you always bring that up? And I’m not in a relationship… with anybody. Why can’t I just like pancakes?”

“Did you go on a date recently? When was the last date you went on?”

“What is this? Question time with Annie? And I don’t know… it depends what you mean by…” Annie dropped her voice to a mumble, “…a date.”

“Oooh… Annie!”

“What?! I’m not allowed to just have fun?”

“Don’t tell Jeff. He’ll go insane.”

“It was… last year, so it doesn’t even matter.”

“Who was it?”

“Britta! It’s none of your business.”

“Sorry… I was just curious which cute boy you were hanging out with… is it the guy on your phone under ‘Guy with the Abs’?” Annie’s eyes flew open, along with her hands that shot up to her face.

“Britta! You always go on about privacy and… 1984, but when it comes to other people you go the other way? Why are you looking on my phone?”

“It was me, actually. I needed to find Shirley’s new number, so I opened up your contacts when you weren’t looking.”

Annie tilted her head and crossed her arms, speaking through her teeth as if Britta wasn’t there.

_“And you told her?”_

“Sorry.” Abed apologised before turning back to his laptop screen, leaving Annie and Britta to stand and sit around in an awkward silence. Annie’s phone buzzed in her hand, so she slowly pulled it up to her face, reading the new message.

Jeff: Good to know. See you tomorrow – J :)

“See you tomorrow, smiley face?” Annie shot up when she felt Britta breathe over her.

The image of Jeff sat in the bar came to mind, and how his face had dropped as soon as she’d uttered the letters ‘DC’. She knew he didn’t exactly adapt to change that well, but he hadn’t said much of Abed’s possible departure. What was she feeling? Guilt? For not telling him sooner? Why, though?

“Oh, Annie…” Britta watched as Annie sucked in her mouth, her eyelashes flickering as she thought everything through.

“I’m just so fed up of _not_ knowing… and I don’t want to talk to you about it in case you feel _weird_ or something… and…” She whispered, “ _…no offence to Abed, but he usually ends up looking at it through his metal lens of sitcom scenarios._ ”

“I can hear you.” Abed added, his back facing away from them.

“Oh _please,_ you can tell me whatever you want. You really think I care about Jeff? Did I sit around moping all summer because of that whole ‘proposal’ thing? No, Jeff did, because he felt bad for doing it in front of you. He doesn’t care about me like that. Sure, we’re friends, but that’s it. He’s still a tool in my books.”

Annie’s face was twisting and quivering as Britta spoke, everything catching up on her once again.

“It’s confusing; you know? Like today, I thought maybe we were on the same page for a moment and then he froze up and it just reminded me that not a _lot_ has changed. He’s still the same Jeff he’s always been.”

Britta circled her hands in the air, motioning for Annie to sit down in the red beanbag chair that had seen better days.

“Look, I’m going to help you because not only do I think it’s totally unfair for men to treat us this way, but you’ve been helping me recently, with this whole job thing, I might have actually have found an assistants position but that’s not the point. We can’t let men control us like this, but quite honestly… I’ve never seen you too so happy, so if anything did happen we’d probably all be fed up with how sickeningly sweet you are together.

It might not _seem_ like Jeff means anything he says, but you can tell when he does… in fact, him freaking out is all part of it. Also, he told me something after your birthday and, well, let’s just say that if he’s going to be telling anyone he loves them, it’s going to be you.”

“…what did he say?” Annie asked sheepishly, pushing out her bottom lip.

“It doesn’t matter, the point-.”

“Britta! Of course it matters, you can’t just leave me with _that!”_

“Okay, well, I didn’t want to say in case you get mad at me for asking, but I _may_ have questioned whether he was in love with you,” Britta squinted at Annie’s face which was contorting like a puppy – no wonder Jeff could succumb to her so easily, “and he said that if he was, he wasn’t going to tell me first… which brings me to my point…

…I don’t think you should give up. But let me reiterate, he’s a tool and you deserve better, but you also seem to really like him, or love him or whatever so I’m not going to get in the way. Just, give him time… which I know sounds ridiculous but from an outside point of view, if anything’s going to happen, it’s going to happen soon.”

“It’s true. You two are back to a third year friendship. We all had a bet on that Jeff would ask you out that year. Troy lost $100 and Pierce didn’t lose any because he still had speculations about Jeff’s sexuality.”

Annie rolled her eyes at Abed’s Pierce comment as he came and stood over her along with Britta.

“So… what you’re saying is, I should give him even more time than I’ve already given him?” Annie raised an eyebrow, as he re-read his text message in her hand.

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying… but never again. Never again shall I utter the words ‘wait for Jeff Winger’.” Even Abed laughed at that, leaving them in a bubble of smiles, reminding her that whatever happened, she’d always have her friends to help her through it. She took Abed’s hand and pulled herself up, leaving her bag and phone behind her to plate up some of the lasagne that had been making her stomach gurgle since she stepped foot in the door.

“Okay, enough Jeff talk, Abed, where’s your movie?”

“Ah, right…” He clicked a button to show the opening credits scrolling in, giving Annie a chance to look back at her phone, tempted to walk over and type back, not knowing that Jeff wouldn’t reply for a while anyway, seeing as he was currently sat in the bar’s parking lot, swiping through his apps and numbers to find Shirley.

After two attempts; she picked up.


	12. Never Think Anything But

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff rolls a dice, and this time, there's no darkest timelines.

“Hey Shirley. It’s Jeff, are you free to talk? I thought maybe we could catch up.”

“Oh, that’s nice! I’m glad you called. I’m just waiting for our dinner to finish up in the oven, so it’s good timing. Are you doing okay Jeffrey?"

He paused in startlement, as he realised it was one of the first times someone had asked him that in a while. It took him a moment to actually spell it all out in his mind... each word just telling him to let it go and let it loose. He sighed, giving in.

"No. I'm not, actually."

"Oh honey, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

He sighed again, wishing he’d finished off the whole third glass of scotch he’d ordered. He’d stopped himself so he was still able to drive home.

"Jeffr-."

"Please don't kill me when I say this, but..."

He let his shoulders and head fall back against his seat, watching a car drive past.

"Jeff you know I wouldn't kill you, even if you've killed a man yourself."

Jeff stifled a laugh whilst pinching the bridge between his nose.

"I'm in love with Annie."

He waited a moment, trying to work out whether he'd heard Shirley inhale a breath over the phone.

"You're in love with Annie?"

He nodded, before stopping himself.

"Sorry, I forgot you can't see me nod... yeah... I am."

"How do you know?"

"What do you mean, _how do I know?_ I don't know... I guess..."

He held down his phone from his ear, pressed a button on the screen and balanced it on the dashboard, brushing his hands down his face once Shirley was on speaker phone.

"I guess... every time she walks in a room, I just... it's like..."

"It's like she's the only person there, and if you look away, it feels as if you're missing out on something?" Shirley added, making Jeff jolt his head back in surprise. He'd never heard it being put quite so perfectly.

"Yeah, how did you kn-."

"That's how I felt when I first met Andre. Yeah, I know how you feel."

"So you're not going to kill me, you're actually going to relate to something?"

"I'd never get in the way of something you genuinely want Jeff. I might have my opinions and my beliefs, but that doesn't change what's actually there. What I will get in the way of though is you sitting on the phone, moping about it. What's so wrong about being in love? I might not have had the best experience, and you might not know of many people who have, but that doesn't mean it can't work out."

"It's not really that... I screwed things up with the whole 'marrying Britta' thing. I apologised and we've been hanging out more recently, and sometimes I think that if I told her, she wouldn't freak out, but I don't think that's enough."

"What did you apologise for?"

"For messing it all up... for ruining everything between us. I know you'd much rather have me pining over Britta but that's dead and gone. I've never _loved_ Britta like I love Annie. When I realised it, it didn't even scare me that much. I had an initial freak out but now it seems like the most blatantly obvious thing."

"Yes but _why_ did you apologise... does Annie know why?"

"Because I hurt her and I..." Jeff shook his head, trying to conjure up the right words.

"You made the wrong decision when it meant the most? And you're worried Annie won't forgive you because you're convinced she's moved on and she won't say it back when you eventually do tell her?"

He nodded to himself again before rewinding in his mind.

"Wait, what do you mean ‘I’m convinced she’s moved on’ I know she has, I… why would she still, I…" He gave up trying to finish his sentence as he became frustrated with himself.

"Oh come on Jeff, do you really think that girl is ever going to be over you? She's been head over heels from day one."

"Yeah, but look at me Shirley, who wouldn't be?"

"Jeffrey!"

"Sorry."

"Do you know what? I told Annie a very similar thing once before, when she was pining over Troy;" Jeff rolled his eyes and snorted at that, "love is a gamble. You have to roll your dice or you'll lose your turn all together. You won't know unless you try... just like when Andre came back into my life with Ben... I took that chance. Yes, it might not have gone exactly how I'd planned, but we have our boys, and I wouldn't change that for the world.

I'm not saying you should rush into having a family with Annie just to show that you tried... in fact, even if I've said different in the past, I'd hope you'd take it slow and get married slightly further down the line. Annie's still got some life to live, but that doesn't mean she can't live it with you."

Jeff chewed his lip whilst tapping the steering wheel, feeling the scotch he'd already consumed doing its job in making him relax. Shirley's words weren't exactly a problem, either.

"I'm actually surprised how cool you're being about that."

"If you'd told me a few years back, then maybe you'd be right; maybe I would have given you some stern punishment, but Annie's older now and we all have to respect that she can make her own decisions and if part of that is spending her life with you, then we have to let her... including you. You have to let her love you Jeff, otherwise it will be too late, and you'll never forgive yourself. But once again... if you ever want to go back to Britta, I wouldn't be against it."

"Shirley! That's not... you were actually talking some sense into me for a minute then."

"Hehe, I'm just messing with you Jeffrey."

He let himself laugh with her then, his chuckle almost making his phone slip to the floor as he bounced his knee up and down against the underneath of the dash.

"I'm sorry for loading all of that on you. I doubt that's why you thought I was calling."

"It's fine, any time, any time... it's actually a nice distraction to talk about something different for a change."

"How is everything? How's your dad?"

"Not much better... they said he might improve in the next couple of weeks so we just have to wait it out. We'll see."

"I'm sorry you have to go through all of that, especially when I'm sat here _moping_ like you said."

"All the more reason to roll the dice. Make sure you tell her, Jeffrey. She’s your friend, she’s more than that, she deserves to know."

"No, she deserves _so_ much better."

"She deserves what she thinks she deserves, and if that's you, then that's what she'll have."

"You're making me sound like a dessert or something."

"I'm sure you will be to her one day."

"Shirley! Dear lord... sorry, I shouldn't have said that, but oh my go...sh."

"Hehe, it's fine. If I'm allowed to have my fun, then you can have yours."

"Someone's having _too_ much fun."

An ambulance decided to pass then, the siren being picked up on Jeff's phone as he carried on listening over hands free, his car now only being lit up by the screen on his phone and the single street light above him.

"Where are you right now?"

"Hmm? Oh, erm, I'm sat in my car."

"Jeffrey..."

"What? I was... having a drink with Annie but she walked home. She was the one who made me ring you actually. To be honest, she's the only one who can make me do anything these days."

"Nuh-uh. She's _always_ been the only one."

"That's not true."

"Mhmm... I have to go now, our dinner's ready. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Sweet dreams Jeffrey. Drive home safe."

"Will do."

He clicked off his phone, before realising he needed to ask one more question. He needed to hear what he needed to hear. He took another deep breath and clicked back on his recent calls, hoping Shirley hadn’t gone too far.

"Ooh, you're back." She picked up almost immediately, but was obviously managing two things at once as he heard plates clattering together in the background. Jeff picked at a thread in his sweater, before gulping and speaking up.

"I could be happy all the time, couldn't I?"

Shirley paused and internally cooed in awe, wishing she was there to give him a hug because _boy, does that man need one._

"If Annie's the person who makes you happy, then you could have a _lifetime_ of happiness. You just have to roll those dice."

"And it's not selfish to tell her?"

"Why would it be selfish?"

"Because what if I hold her back?" His voice was croaking as he clicked his nose, holding in a whimper.

"She can make her own decisions Jeffrey... and I have a feeling she'll make the right one."

* * *

 

It was three days until the Alumni Dance and everything was set to go. So far in the year, it was the biggest date in the Greendale calendar due to the fact the Dean had miscalculated things in the budget for Valentine’s Day, meaning there was twice as much to go around.

With Jeff buying Annie her backpack, she had some money put by for a dress. She didn’t usually go all out for Greendale parties, but seeing as it would probably be one of her last, she decided to treat herself. If she was accepted for an internship, she’d have the opportunity to wear it elsewhere too.

Her application had been sent off a few days ago, with Annie staying up the whole evening with paranoia of it not sending through properly via email. She’d also waited up just in case somebody in the HR apartment was really on top of their game and wanted to respond straight away.

She knew it could take weeks or even _months_ to get a response but she was keeping her spirits and hopes high, mainly because the idea of looking for apartments to stay in all summer sounded quite enticing. She couldn’t deny the fact that she’d already started looking at a couple, or the fact that she _still_ was at ten o’clock in the evening whilst Abed watched a movie in the next room; Britta out working at The Vatican.

 It felt comforting to wrap herself up in a ball of potential. Even if she didn’t get accepted for DC, the prospect of _maybe_ moving out of Apartment 303 in the near future excited her. She hadn’t lived alone for at least three years now, and although she thoroughly enjoyed the company, she wouldn’t mind being able to have full control over every aspect. She also wouldn’t mind not having Britta right outside her door every night. A girl has needs but she doesn’t need _everyone_ to know about it…

She glanced over to her side table, a small black box perching on the edge. She bit her lip and closed down her laptop, padding over to the box, picking it up to pop off the lid. She slipped out the card and sighed. Since their trip to the bar together, she hadn’t seen as much of Jeff as she’d hoped due to the fact she was planning the dance and well, applying for the internship which was now done and dusted.

She grabbed her bag from the end of her bed, swapped her phone for ‘The Frozen Cone’ voucher and started typing as she opened up her door. She spoke without looking up.

“Abed, I’m just going out… probably to the store or something. I’ll be back in a while, okay?” He nodded to the TV screen, stuffing his hand in a bowl of popcorn before she stood into the hallway and left him behind.

Within a couple of minutes of driving, she was outside Jeff’s apartment, gazing up at the third floor where he lived. He wasn’t replying to her text which didn’t help seeing as the main door to the apartment block was locked at night time. She got out of the car anyway, looked for any suspicious characters that might be lurking under the street lights and dashed around the corner so she could get a better view of his window.

She could see it was open by a small crack, so she took a deep breath, gritted her teeth and went for it.

“JEFF!”

She tried one more time, pausing beforehand as a car rolled past.

“JEFF!”

And then she started whistling, awkwardly blending it in to a humming tune as somebody jogged past in running gear.

Up in his apartment, Jeff was still completely oblivious to Annie’s attempts of getting his attention. His phone was charging in the living room as he wondered through having just come out of the shower, his towel now discarded in his bedroom. If nobody was there to tell him otherwise, he took any opportunity he could get at walking around in the nude. He grabbed a beer from the fridge before walking back through, popping the cap open with his bare hands, bringing the bottle up to his lips before sinking down into his sheets.

He pulled his laptop towards him and was about to log onto one of his bookmarks, his mind firmly set on the next half an hour of activities. A final shriek from outside distracted him though, making him get back up and push the window open slightly further to see what was going on, blinking a few times as he saw Annie waving with a smile.

He leant his arms on the windowsill before holding his eyes wide open, trying to control himself. He almost needed someone to come along and pinch him because Annie was downstairs (well, _outside_ ) when he was moments away from… well, that was a NSFW thought for sure.

He poked his head out of the window, looking from side to side to make sure none of his neighbours were looking out too. He raised his voice as much as he could without causing even more of a scene than there already was.

“What are you doing?”

“The ice cream place closes in…” She flicked her wrist up to check the time, “…ten minutes so if you come down now, we can make it before it closes!”

“Why didn’t you just come upstairs?!”

“Well now I can clearly see you wouldn’t really want me to… and the door was locked!” They were shouting in hushed voices now, as the amount of cars driving past died down. He tilted his and nodded, glancing down at his legs, realising she was probably right.

“Okay well… fine, give me five minutes!”

“We haven’t got five minutes! Just put some clothes on and get down here!”

“That’s going to take me five minutes!”

Annie looked to the sky before pointing in the direction of her car. Jeff stood back into his apartment, turning around but standing a little taller just to tease her. He doubted she could see much from that angle, but he tried just in case.

* * *

 

Three minutes and twenty-seven seconds later (she’d put a timer on her phone), Jeff came out of his apartment in a pair of jeans, and a shirt, which upon closer inspection once he’d sat in her car, was the same shirt he’d worn at New Year’s. She’d seen him wear it a couple of times since, but she couldn’t help think that maybe he’d picked it out of his wardrobe just for her.

“Study break?” She nodded as she drove off, her eyes on the road, both hands on the steering wheel.

“Why are you studying at ten thirty?”

“Well, I wasn’t really studying, it’s more just a break… no ‘study’.” He was nodding now, gazing out of the window as he fiddled with the old cup holder that was permanently stuck open.

“What were you doing?”

“Hmm? Oh, you don’t want to know.” He flashed her a grin, keeping it in place as he watched her face scrunch up in disgust.

“Nah, I’m kidding. I’d just got out of the shower.”

“Sure…”

They paused at a traffic light, both of them looking in opposite directions at their surroundings, holding in any conversation starters until they rounded the corner to the ice cream shop that had rather late closing times.

“What do you want? Frozen yoghurt? They added it to the menu the other day, as well as milkshakes.”

“You came here without me?”

“No, I drove past and contemplated it but I was kind of full from eating beforehand, but I noticed the sign.” She pointed to it a glass covered poster that was on the entrance to the drive-through, displaying the new fro-yo flavours.

“I’ll share one… I’m not that fussed.”

After ordering a single pot and an extra plastic scoop for Jeff, she parked up by the brick wall and turned off the engine.

“Sit on the hood?” Jeff pointed to the front of her car, climbing out as she nodded in response. They sat side by side, their elbows touching as she passed the pot of frozen yoghurt back and forth, scooping vanilla and strawberry flavoured swirls up into their mouths.

They didn’t need to talk about anything to enjoy the moment, or the company. In fact, it made Annie think about whether it was the company she enjoyed in the apartment, or the _people._ She liked having Abed and Britta around, but Abed was sometimes suffocating, even if he didn’t mean to be and Britta wasn’t just Britta… it was Britta and her two cats. Whereas Jeff; Jeff was just Jeff. She knew mostly everything about him and it was fine for him to just sit and well, _sit._

“What’s this?” Jeff laughed with a scrunched up face and smile, flashing the screen of his phone to read off her text message.

“Jeff if you don’t come down, I swear I will come up and screw you.”

She stuffed her mouth with the final scoop of frozen yoghurt, humming innocently.

“You reused the text. That’s not skill, that’s sloppy, although, you really should have come up, I wouldn’t have stopped you.” She blushed and looked away, giggling with pursed lips. Jeff smiled too, but then the truth in his words fell short and he had Shirley in his mind. _Roll the dice._

“You know what? That’s not even true.” She looked up in confusion, reading his face which had opened up within a matter of seconds. His shoulders had dropped as he focused on his hands, and she knew instantly that whatever he was about to say was coming from the same place that had told Britta he wasn’t going to tell her first; his heart.

“You don’t want to… sleep with me or, be with me. I’m not… worth it, or…” She could feel her cheeks flush with warmth and her heartbeat start to race as he shook his head, oblivious to the fact that she’d turned to face him completely, one leg dangling off onto the floor, her hands centimetres away from reaching out and clasping on to his arm.

“You deserve someone who… tells you,” he paused to look up at her, his throat tight as he spoke, “you’re beautiful every day and makes you breakfast every morning and doesn’t care what time you get home because it doesn’t matter, they just want you to be home, and someone who’s selfless enough to only care about what _you_ want and someone who’s not so much of a jerk that he…” Jeff paused as his mind raced, his eyes fixed open as rambled on, his chest constricting as he forgot where he was… _is it possible to roll the dice too far? Of course it is, it falls over the table and you have to scramble away to pick it up. Away…_ he gulped before daring to look up at her.

There was a tear on her cheek and she was visibly shaking as she looked directly in his eyes.

_He loves me._

“I…” He shook his head and closed his eyes, “…shouldn’t have… said all of that… I… I’ll, I’m going to go.” As he stood up she shook her own head and parted her lips, unable to take a hold of the situation.

“Je…” She blinked another tear away as he walked off, leaving her alone on the front of her run down car, an empty pot of frozen-yoghurt sat beside her, two plastic scoops poking out.

She watched as he turned a corner, knowing that she should let him walk back alone.

He’d told her everything he’d do if he had the chance, but for some reason, he wasn’t _letting_ himself have the chance. She would have kissed him. She would have shut him up, but when the tears started rolling she knew he’d only pull away.

She stared into space, composing herself by blowing out air in the direction that he’d walked.

“Goddammit Jeff Winger.” She spoke aloud, having the fright of her life when ‘Kyle’ came walking by.

“ _Jesus_ , Kyle.”

He squinted at her as he collected trash from the ground, picking it up in a grabber that had a satisfying ‘click-click’ noise to it.

“Kyle? Who’s Kyle? My name’s Brian.”

* * *

 

He knew he shouldn’t have left. He knew he should have stayed and ‘picked up the dice’ but that was his deal; he freaked out over things when he wasn’t one-hundred percent sure on what the outcome would be.

He presumed that’s why he never found anything wrong with one night stands, because there was no time to freak out about whether he was going to fall in love with the person in between his sheets. It was just sex. _Good_ sex, most of the time.

He’d sleep with her (the _her_ being somebody from one of the several bars he went to each week) then get her out of his apartment as quick as he possibly could, leaving no chance for her to give him her number, just in case he drunkenly called her up a week later, making her think she had a chance for something more.

He knew he had abandonment issues stemming from his dad. Even if his sexual relationships weren’t meant to mix with his parental ones, he knew it was all his fault. If his dad hadn’t left, he’d probably be married with three kids by now, but even that made him shiver because the thought of having kids with anyone _but_ Annie, just didn’t make sense. It was incomprehensible.

The freaking out was different this time, because he was genuinely mad at himself, and it was rubbing off on everyone else. It was the last straw when everyone was packing up to go home after prepping the cafeteria.

Abed was testing out the sound system for one last time, playing some ridiculously repetitive pop song at full volume. He tried not to react, but Jeff was apparently uncontrollable of his actions, so he walked across the room with long, full strides, stomping up on the stage.

“Abed, if you don’t turn that song off, I swear to you, I will smash that computer into shreds.” Jeff nodded with a sarcastic smile, his eyes widening as Abed looked around the room, his fingers nowhere near the keyboard that could end it all.

“Abed, I’ll tell you one last time. _Turn. It. Off.”_

“We were testing it… we... were… testing it?” Abed nodded whilst he spoke, turning to look down at Annie who had her back turned away, trying to not get involved – _she’d ordered another pot of frozen yoghurt after he’d left, and ended up having a conversation about the ice cream industry with Brian; he knew a surprising amount for a guy who just collected litter._

“TURN IT O…” Jeff flared his nostrils and clenched his fingers into fists by his sides, forcing out a smile as he composed himself.

“I’m going to leave now.” He brushed past Abed, trying his best to ignore everyone as they stood and watched, including Annie who instinctively knew it was about the night before. She was composing herself too, trying not to rise to it by repeating Britta’s words in her mind – _Give him time… it will blow over and then you’ll go dancing into the woods holding hands and get married and have babies…_ she sighed when Britta nudged her, nodding to the door to let her know she was leaving.

Once Abed had indeed turned off the sound system, Annie walked off back to her car, her elbow hooked around his own.

* * *

 

“I’m not going slow, you jackass!” Jeff shouted out the window of his car as someone overtook him on the ride home, his fist taking a hard hitting at his steering wheel as he stopped at a traffic light, watching the overtaking car whizz on through.

He was stationary at the cross roads, signalling to turn left towards home, knowing that if he just flicked his hand up, he could be turning right to Annie. A car pulled up behind him as the light finally signalled go, leaving Jeff with no time to make a change in direction. He spun the wheel around and headed left, slowing down as he passed the Chinese restaurant he often ordered from, but driving on past when he remembered he had some chicken to eat in the fridge.

At the next turning, he read the sign pointing in the opposite direction to Dresser Avenue. If he turned back now, he wouldn’t have to say he drove all the way back from his apartment…

He revved slightly before spinning the car around, pulling back before speeding back down the street, enjoying the satisfaction of all the lights being on green. He past the Chinese restaurant once again, turned right, kept on going for another couple of hundred yards until turning right once more, the 3624 block coming into view as he slowed and parked up.

He had no idea if she’d actually be in yet, but everyone had said they were heading home just before he’d stormed out, so he presumed the lights from her window were a good sign. He didn’t text, call or ring the buzzer though. He stood on the sidewalk with his hands on his hips and attempted his own version of attention grabbing.

“ANNIE!”

He licked his lips and silenced himself as the old woman at the end of the street put her trash out for the morning.

“ANNIE!”

He heard a window open, but it was coming from the opposite side of the road, so he froze in mild panic.

“Hey dude! Shut up! I’ve got a chick to bang and you’re kind of killing the mood.”

Jeff hung his head and cringed, hoping that he’d never sounded like that before. He wanted to come back with a witty remark, but to be quite honest, the guy was right, he was probably killing every kind of mood that was going on in the neighbourhood – a baby was crying in one house and a dog had started barking.

He tried for the whistling approach, but the only response he received was an even more aggressive sounding howl.

His final opportunity came when he saw a figure at the window, a purple hoodie being slipped onto the shoulders of Annie as she faced away from him. He checked over his shoulder that the guy who was probably boning his girlfriend wasn’t still keeping an eye on him, before calling out one last time.

“ANNIE!”

He could see her turn, her face concealed by a shadow. She saw him, her eyebrows quirking up as she realised he must have been there a while. Her concerned pout morphed into a smile of awe as she reached over and pushed up the latch on the window.

“What are you doing?”

“Break… no study?” He motioned scooping ice cream up into his mouth with his hands, most definitely looking bizarre to onlookers. She rolled her eyes before shutting the window and rushing down the stairwell, ignoring Abed who was calling out for her.

* * *

 

There was no apology about leaving her alone with Brian, more of a mutual acceptance of moving on as their feet fidgeted around together on the trunk of Jeff’s car, Annie’s dangling but Jeff’s firmly on the ground.

“So are you taking anyone to the dance?” Annie nudged into his shoulder with a smile, watching him finish up some frozen yoghurt before stretching up his neck to think of answer.

“Yeah, I am actually.”

“Oh really?”

“Mhmm.”

“What’s her name? Do I know her?”

“Erm, no… you don’t. Her name is erm…” She watched him slide his tongue over his front teeth in contemplation, trying to pluck a name out of thin air.

“You can’t remember her name? That’s a new low, Jeff.” He chuckled, his whole face lighting, the lines around his eyes creasing.

“Erm, no, her name is…” He brought up his hand to his chin, cupping his elbow with his other.

“Denise? Yeah, her name is Denise.”

“Denise? Sounds… lovely. Why’s she called Denise?”

“I don’t know; I guess you’d have to ask her parents.”

“You’ve met them?! Woah, it must be getting serious. I can’t believe I’ve never heard anything about her.”

“No… no, we haven’t quite gotten to that stage yet.”

“Ah, right. Well, I look forward to…” Annie yawned mid-sentence, “ahhh… meeting her.”

Jeff squinted, watching her face relax as she brought her hand back down to her ice cream.

“Are you tired?” She yawned again, closing her eyes tightly as it took over her whole body.

“Yeah… yeah, I should really get some sleep actually.” She laughed breathily, rubbing under her eye.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah… just a lot of things keeping me awake at night. Did I tell you I sent off my internship application? It might be months before I hear anything back but I’m already stressing over it. I keep waking up thinking I haven’t sent it properly… my sleeping brain is _really_ paranoid. I’m just nervous that I’ll get turned down because of my experience… working for so long in healthcare doesn’t exactly help, and then I’m only at Greendale and the school is basically renowned for being easy to get in and out of, so I’m sure there’s much better competition.”

He was going to kiss her.

“Not that it’s competition, it’s not really competition when you _know_ you’re not going to win, is it? Not that I’d be winning anything… but actually, I guess going to DC for the summer probably is a small vic-.”

Within seconds he was pushing his feet down even further, his hands splaying out to cup his hands at the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair as he pressed his lips to hers, softly, but with the right amount of pressure for her to know it meant something. He really just needed her to shut up for a second… or two… or however long this was going to last, because _damn_ was it good to feel her react. It was her time to be surprised for a change.

She moaned at the back of her throat before leaning in closer, their noses meeting in the middle. She tried to push it all to the back of her mind, making sure that no bad memories came up as a whole new one was created, but she couldn’t help remember how good it felt when they moved against each other, their noses seemed to slot besides each other perfectly like two jigsaw pieces completing a puzzle.

He pulled back, dropping his hands from her hair, shyly pulling his ears back as he realised he’d probably gone a little overboard with the physical contact. His voice broke as he spoke.

“I didn’t want to hear you doubting yourself because if _you’re_ worried then I really need to get my… _shit_ together. You’re amazing, and you should never think anything but. I’ll take you home, and you should get some sleep.”

Her heart fluttered as he pushed away from the car, holding out a hand for her to steady herself. He let her walk around and open the door, realising she probably needed a moment to take it all in. Not having kissed someone for five years definitely shook you up emotionally – he knew that now.

They sat in silence the whole way back, but the fact that Jeff’s right hand found hers on her lap, meant more than anything either of them could say. He’d kissed her. _He kissed me._

When he pulled up, he smiled for a moment before shielding his face as he let go of her hand.

“See you and Denise tomorrow?” Her voice was small and soft and sounded totally and utterly like someone who had just been thoroughly kissed.

“Yeah… about that, I made her up.” He scrunched up his nose as she flashed a twisted smile back at him.

“I figured.”

They both laughed under their breaths, as they sat together, a lingering sense of hope dangling between them.

“Goodnight.” His eyes were dopey and dark, the spark in them shooting right to the core of her, knowing that she was the only one it was meant for.

 _“Goodnight.”_ She whispered.

He watched her climb out and walk into the apartment, disappearing behind the green door, where she pressed herself up against it and allowed herself to squeal, biting her lip, trying to keep the noises coming out of her to a minimum as she heard the hum of Jeff’s engine still whirring away. He was still there.

She rapidly tapped her foot; one half of her brain telling her to walk back out and pull him down into the back seat and tear all of his clothes off, the other half telling her to go back up to her room and giddily scream into a pillow because she was still the same girl who had done just that the night of the Transfer Dance all those years ago.

He was indeed still there, half of _his_ brain telling him to drive off, with the other half telling him to set a timer for a two minutes and see if she was thinking of coming back for more; which he did.

He clicked a button on his watch, impatiently tapped his foot beside the accelerator, letting the car settle. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of the door. He wasn’t even sure what he would do if she came back out. He’d have to say it then - he’d _have_ to.

“Annie?” If Jeff had x-ray vision, he would have seen Abed suspiciously walk down the stairs to find Annie still by the door, her hands clasped up by her chest.

“Eee, hmm?” She piped up embarrassingly, moving her hands to either side of her legs for some stability.

“Where did you go?”

“I just… our neighbour wanted something… some… water.”

Abed paused with a finger in the air, trying to point around her.

“Oh, I thought you were with Jeff. His car’s outside.”

“Hmm? No… really? It is? Are you sure it’s him? It could be any car.”

“No, he is. His license plate is 361-QBC.”

“Well… maybe he’s just driving by… a coincidence? Shall I go check? Yeah, I’ll go check.” She nodded with a smile before stepping back out onto the street, her smile wiping straight off of her face as she saw the empty parking space in front of her.

Two minutes had gone by in a flash. He had wanted to wait longer.

Abed joined her on the sidewalk, tilting his head and analysing her face and the road, watching two small red lights fade into the distance. He allowed to her to fall into his chest as she pouted to the ground.

“Oh… I guess I missed him.”


	13. So Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dean realises he's lost his chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The most ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) chapter yet...

He was standing at the back of the cafeteria, a red cup in his hand as he had a sense of deja-vu, sans the stench of damp latex and the cheap tequila Britta had added to his drink at Halloween. He was swaying from side to side more than he had that night too, as he tried to shake the nerves out of his system.

Annie’s restless nights had rubbed off on him, because he’d only had a couple of hours of sleep after having arrived home, full of icy cold yoghurt and a sense of fulfilment. He’d been half tempted to text Shirley and tell her that he’d listened to her advice, but thought better of it when he realised he hadn’t _quite_ done what she’d told him to.

He fumbled around with his top buttons, absentmindedly undoing a couple to give him some extra breathing space. Abed was wondering through the crowds of people milling by the stage, poking his head up every now and again to make sure the DJ (who also happened to be ‘Fabulous Neil’) was happy with the set up.

Jeff raised his eyebrows with a nod as Abed turned around and checked up on him too. He was pointing away from the stage though, towards the entrance of the cafeteria. Jeff looked across as he blinked, Annie’s figure appearing out of nowhere.

His smile softened as she sauntered towards him, a shy look on her face as she shrugged up her shoulders as if to say ‘What do you think?’.

He shook his head, speechless for a moment. She was wearing a simple purple dress that fit snug to her figure, a thin strap hooking it up around her neck. It was different but she still looked perfectly _her._

“You look… gor-great.” He closed his eyes as he stumbled on his words.

“Gor- _great?”_

“Gorgeous. I mean, you look… gorgeous.”

She smiled at her feet which were encased in a pair of black heels that crossed over with an embroidered style tassel detailing, a silver buckle keeping them together.

“You look… nice.”

He raised his chin up at her compliment, gazing back down at her with a smirk.

“It’s no plaid shirt though, is it?” 

Abed decided to joined them then, rocking back and forth on heels to the rhythm of the music.

“Dance?” Annie pointed a thumb over her shoulder, signalling Jeff to join her.

“Nah, if there’s one thing you should know about me… it’s that I don’t really dance.”

“That’s a lie! I’ve seen you dance many times; in fact, you’ve danced with me before. I guess I’ll just have to dance with Abed instead… he’s a good dancer, aren’t you Abed?” Abed pulled up the left side of his lip before taking Annie’s hand. Jeff watched them, his tongue perched between his lips as he watched Annie glide around effortlessly.

“Ugh, fine, Abed, gimme.” Jeff gestured towards Annie who frowned at his choice of wording before slipping her fingers in-between Jeff’s. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect when he started to move about, so she held in a giggle when he started to jostle from side to side, their hands waving about in the air. The music wasn’t exactly fitting, but it worked somehow, because they were both just happy to be together.

“You’re a _terrible_ dancer.”

“I told you I don’t dance.”

“Yeah well neither do I but _anyone_ is better than you.”

“Oof, that hurt. And that’s a lie, you probably did ballet in third grade.”

“Second…” Annie mumbled as they drifted through the supposedly alumni students that were genuinely getting into the swing of things.

Annie caught a glimpse of a couple swaying together, in their own little bubble, totally oblivious to anyone else but each other. Jeff bumped into someone as she glazed over at the thought, jolting them as he mumbled an apology. That’s when the music switched.

People scattered across the room, groups of four turning into two groups of two… and so on. He studied her face as she tipped her head forward, their hands coming to rest against Jeff’s chest.

 _“Hey.”_ He breathed out.

 _“Hey._ ” She replied, before standing closer, leaning her cheek against his chest, her ear pressed up against his heart. If the music had been a few decibels lower, she would have heard it pounding as it glowed from within, the sensation firing up his whole body.

Every word of the song was making a chill go down his spine, the shiver being diffused by their hands that were so tightly wound together, that he didn’t think either of them would be letting go anytime soon; until they did.

He lowered his neck so he could brush his cheek against her own, his breath tingling her ear as he came in closer, his lips barely grazing her temple as he watched her through his lashes, her eyes closed. He wondered what she was thinking, because in that moment, all he could think about was how she looked like an angel; he wondered if she’d ever seen herself as one before.

In actual fact, she was thinking about the couple she’d seen before the upbeat song had faded out. How perfectly content they looked with each other, and how they both looked so relaxed and unfazed by anything. She was wondering whether they looked like that now, their fingers intertwined as Jeff slowly swayed, leaning on each of his feet. She pursed her lips as a lyric collided with her heart.

That’s when she let go.  
She stood back and avoided his eyes before dashing away in a blur of purple fabric and long legs, holding a single finger to her eye to stop herself from messing up her make-up.

Jeff stood there, suddenly alone in the middle of a school dance – _goddammit, my life is_ seriously _Degrassi High, isn’t it?_ He steadied himself as he puffed out his cheeks, seeing Annie turn out of the cafeteria. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Britta, rolling her eyes and sharply pointing a thumb in the direction of Annie. She shook her head and pulled up the corner of her lip, mouthing the word ‘GO’.

He couldn’t believe himself, but he actually nodded before pushing off, his quick pace turning into a fast paced jog as he pushed through doors in the hallways, looking left and right every now and again to make sure she hadn’t closed herself off in a classroom. He reached the door out into the quad, searching around once again before slumping his shoulders down in relief when he saw her.

He wasn’t totally relieved though, because she was sat with her knees tucked up, her hand still brushing against her face as he strode towards her.

He crouched down once he reached the steps where she was sat, holding his hands out in between his legs, knowing deep down what it was all about - knowing deep down what it had  _always_ been about.

She allowed herself one more deep breath before she dropped her cheek onto his shoulder, reaching out in search for his hand that she was already in need of after just a few minutes of being apart.

Her voice came out as a shaky whisper.

 _“Can I ask you a question?_ ”

“Yeah.”

_“Do you love me?”_

She felt him nod against her hair before she heard it.

“Yeah… I do. I love you.”

She let her lips curl up into a smile as she sunk further into his chest.

“So much.”

Her smile was blazing brightly as he kissed the crown of her hair – and there it was. Complete and utter weightlessness, because now she knew. _God,_ it felt good for him to tell the truth again.

“I love you too.”

Jeff closed his eyes and let the words sink in, letting out a sigh until he started to laugh at the situation, drawing her in as she giggled too, feeling everything fall into place.

“Do you want to go get some ice cream?” He was still laughing as he asked it, hoping she’d say no because he was beginning to become fed up of it.

“I’d actually prefer a milkshake.”

“Milkshake it is… whatever you want.”

“I also want to just sit here for a moment.”

“Sure, we can do that.”

So they did, in their own little world, unaware that Abed and Britta were standing outside of the library doors, watching them intently from ‘the outside’. They both held in gasps as the Dean saddled up between them silently.

“Is that Jeff… and Annie?” He straightened his tie as Abed nodded, his brows scrunched up in confusion.

“Jeff… and Annie?”

“Jeff and Annie.” Abed pointed out with a smile.

“Do you think I might have… erm… lost my chance?”

“Get a grip, Craig.” Britta groaned, turning her back on him to watch Jeff pull Annie up to standing.

He was taking in the surroundings, another spout of deja-vu hitting him.

“Did you plan this or something?” He smirked as they stood together, in the same place, with the same lights, as they had five years ago.

“You really think I’d _plan_ to be crying?”

“Yeah, I could see you doing that… turning on the water works for me to swoop in like a knight in shining armour.”

“A knight? You’re more of a jester in this scenario.”

“A jester? What the hell makes me a jester?”

“Because you’re actually a huge sap.”

“Jesters are sappy now? Since when?”

“Since you should just shut up and kiss me.”

“Oh, if that’s the case then I’ll take jester over knight any day.”

He pulled her up around the waist, holding her up against him as he slid his hand up her back, the other tucking around her ear and into her hair as they met in the middle for what was that – the second time in two days? Annie could most definitely get used to that.

Britta and Abed who were still watching on both decided to ‘turn off the channel’ by returning to the great indoors, ignoring the wailing sounds coming from the Dean’s office as they passed by.

* * *

“Milkshake?”

“Milkshake and a whole lot more of this, because I can’t go five years without kissing you again.”

“Nobody said you had to in the first place.” Annie leant up and kissed him on the nose before whipping back around, letting him clasp onto her fingertips that she let trail from behind her. 

* * *

 

Abed and Britta had nothing to say when Jeff knocked on the door at seven o’clock sharp the next evening, the time not being the _only_ thing that was sharp as he stood in the doorway in a sleek navy suit and skinny tie, nervously fiddling with his blazer buttons as he waited for Annie to appear from her room.

He wasn’t quite sure what he was more petrified about; the silent response from his friends, or the fact that he’d told Annie he loved her less than twenty-four hours ago and they were _already_ going on their first official date. Okay so if he’d said that out loud it probably wouldn’t make much sense, seeing as the order of their new relationship (another petrifying aspect of the whole ordeal) was a little unconventional… _and_ he’d been the one to suggest it as they’d shared a milkshake with two straws (could he get any more cliché?).

“I’ll be two minutes!” He heard a call from behind closed doors, making him nod to the ground and shift on the spot.

It was more like thirty seconds as he was greeted with the sight of Annie in a white, long sleeved dress with laced details here and there, the fabric dotted with yellow buttercups. Her eyes widened brightly as they were met by Jeff in his suit, his hair spiked up immaculately.

“Woah.” She cringed at her outburst as she became flustered over the fact that this was _really_ happening. Jeff Winger was taking her on a date… because he loved her… _so much._

“Can you guys _please_ not do this in here? Take it outside and leave us alone. You’re suffocating us.” Britta waved a hand over her head, keeping her eyes fixated on the movie in front of her.

As Jeff’s eyes dropped down Annie’s legs, he angled his neck to the hallway, her dress fluttering around as she followed him, aburst of giddy butterflies shooting through her as the door clicked shut.

“So we’re really doing this, huh?”

Annie tapped along in her heels so her feet were toe to toe with his own, her hands gliding up the lapels of his jacket, before smoothing over on to his tie.

“You’re the one who asked me out, so there’s no backing down now, mister.”

“I know… I’m not saying I want to.”

“What are you saying then?”

“I’m saying I’m starving and I have a reservation booked in…” He pulled the sleeve of his shirt up to check the time on his watch before dropping his hand down to her waist, “…eighteen minutes and somebody’s making us late.”

* * *

 

“So… I guess this is the part where I’m meant to take you home, right?” They were wondering down a street, full up on Italian food and buzzed up on wine. The dinner had been perfect, with no awkward pauses or weird moments of realising the other person had no common interests… in fact, they seemed to agree on everything as usual.

They hated Marvel movies for starters, and seeing as Abed had been watching them recently for research purposes, it had made for a great discussion (or a one-way conversation of rage) whilst the tip of Annie’s heel had nudged against the hem of his pants under the table.

“The date’s over?” She pouted as she spun around and faced him, her eyes wide as she let her fingers walk up his chest again, his teeth gritting as he fought down every instinct to wave down the cab that was driving past and tell the driver to go back to his place.

“You have no idea how badly I don’t want it to be over, but… I really don’t want to screw this up.”

“You’re not going to screw it up.”

“You don’t know that…”

“Well, you don’t know that I won’t! And don’t interrupt me by saying I won’t because I can _see_ that you want to.” He rolled his neck around and sighed, letting a smile spread across his face because he was currently staring down at the most perfect human being who apparently loved him back.

“You know what makes me think you won’t screw up?”

“What?”

“All of those things you said the other day… because I know you’ll do them. Well… technically I can’t say you’ve started because you’ve yet to call me beaut-.”

“You’re beautiful. Ha, yeah, beat you to it.”

She smiled back when he grinned down at her, nuzzling his nose against hers.

“You know you have to say that every day now, right?”

“Fine, deal, challenge accepted.”

“Oh, it’s a _challenge?_ ”

“Not every challenge is difficult. This one will be the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Do you know what else would be really easy?”

“What?” He felt her hand move from his chest to his shoulder, her fingers tickling the nape of his neck.

 _“To not have this date end early and have you wave down a cab.”_ She whispered, leaning up so she was breathing into his ear.

_“Fine, deal, challenge accepted.”_

* * *

 

He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling as he stood at the end of his bed, his shirt and tie discarded some unknown place in the living room, his jacket hanging up besides the front door. Annie was splayed out in front of him with heavy eyelids, her bottom lip between her teeth as she walked her feet up his leg, catching one of her toes in a belt loop to pull him forward.

He did so, crawling over her to brush away her hair that had fallen across her collarbone that was now on full show, being complimented by the sheer yellow balconette bra she’d picked up a few weeks back for no particular reason other than the fact it made her feel sexy… not knowing how much more amazing it would feel to have Jeff peppering kisses down her neck whilst wearing it.

She scraped her nails through his hair as he continued a path downwards, humming into the room as he pressed a lingering kiss to her hip. She could feel him against her thigh as he slowly worked himself up, moving now and then as she continued to run her fingers down to that spot at the bottom of his neck that made him moan.

He shifted after a while and hungrily kissed her before leaning back, his breath still fast and eager as he undid the buckle of his belt, letting it fall to the floor so he could focus on his zipper, fumbling around for _way_ longer than he had expected, his face creasing up in frustration.

Annie was still lying patiently in front of him, only one item left upon her body as she watched him intently.

 _“Jesus, come on…_ ” His zipper was still jammed and there was no way they were coming off without it being undone. Her eyes squinted to focus on his hands which were physically trembling.

“Jeff…”

His eyes shot up as she called out to him.

“We don’t have to… it’s fine.”

“What, no, it just… _goddammit._ ” He held back a curse whilst giving up, scrunching up his face before running his hands through his hair, wishing he could get back to the bit where it was _her_ hands instead of his own.

She was up on her knees now, holding her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, or perhaps both of them at the same time.

“I love you and you have no idea how much I want this.” He shook his head, his eyes looking dull as he feared he’d screwed up before anything had even _really_ begun.

“I know.”

“Then why the hell am I freaking out so much right now? Why aren’t you?”

“I am! This is… I mean, maybe you were right… maybe we are rushing things… but also… I love you too and… you have no idea how much I want this either.” He tilted his head from side to side before dropping his eyes down and back up.

“Actually, that’s debatable, I kind of do.”

She tilted her head too, shyly looking down to what he’d been trying to free.

“Yeah, well, I kind of do too… do you need some help?” She raised an eyebrow questioningly before he looked away and gave in.

“Only if I get to help you.”

“Erm, I’m pretty sure you already have…”

“No…” He slid a hand around her back, pressing his lips to her shoulder before mumbling in her ear as he unclipped the catch of her bra, “…I haven’t.”

Within a few hurried moments, Annie was back on the mattress, Jeff now stripped down bare, returning to the activities he’d been taking part in _before_ the mini freak out – that one specific movement making it happen again…

_“Jeeff…”_

* * *

 

The morning light was filtering into the room, an aroma of freshly brewed coffee trickling in from the living room as Annie lifted her head from the pillow which she had assumed was Jeff’s shoulder until she’d opened a single blurry eyelid.

She yawned before bashfully smiling down at herself, running a hand along the soft sheets that spread over Jeff’s bed, the feeling being something she could definitely get used to. She inhaled the mix of his cologne and the coffee that was lingering around her, flexing her toes where they were poking out at the edge of the bed.

She smiled sleepily as he stood in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear as he stood with nothing but a pair of sweatpants on.

“Come back.” She patted a hand on his pillow before pressing her cheek into it.

“I can’t, I’m making you breakfast. I’m pretty sure that was part of my freak out number one-hundred and twenty-seven.”

“Yeah well I’m going to have my freak out number one if you don’t come back over here.”

“I’ll have my freak out three thousand if you carry on looking like that.”

“Like what?”

“Beautiful… boom, pow, every day.” He winked before spinning on his heels, leaving her in utter bliss. So _this_ is what waking up with Jeff Winger is like.

“Love you too!” She called out, still finding it a pleasant surprise to hear the three words echo throughout his apartment.

He eventually did return, a tray in hand that he carefully placed down on his lap as he climbed back under the sheets, scooping his right arm up and around her, pulling her in so she could press a kiss to his shoulder.

“Oh, by the way, those strawberries were meant to be for last night but I kind of forgot… somebody was distracting me.”

She squealed.

“You got me _strawberries?!”_

“Yeah well, I know you like blueberries but… I’m pretty sure strawberries are meant to be all romantic and stuff.”

She kissed his shoulder again before being shoved in the side slightly.

“Oh sorry, but oh crap! I also forgot about…” She sat up with him as he stretched to his night stand, opening up the small compartment underneath to pull out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Annie’s eyes widened.

“Erm… weren’t you the one saying that you wanted to end the date early?”

He turned and brushed his nose against hers as she clasped her fingers around the top of his arm.

“That may have been a lie.”

“I’m not sure we should really drink on a Sunday morning though, should we?”

He shrugged before unscrewing the wire casing around the cork, as Annie settled the glasses down beside the plate of freshly made (or at least, freshly _bought_ ) croissants.

Jeff poured half a glass for each of them, squinting up an eye in concentration, allowing Annie to watch him in all his morning adorableness.

“Chin chin.”

“Did you just say ‘chin chin’?”

“Cheers?” He shrugged whilst peering down at her, knowing she was thinking the exact same thing as he was as he licked his lips and kissed her because he could.

“We’re not going to end up eating this, are we?” He mumbled.

“I highly doubt it.”

So she kissed him back… because she could.


	14. Something Like That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie has some news, Doreen adds her on Facebook and Jeff goes shopping.

Jeff was over at apartment 303, slouched back in an arm chair with a beer in hand as Abed scrambled around by the TV, taking a DVD out of the player, snapping it back into its case before opening up a new one and sliding it into the slot. Jeff glanced backwards towards the kitchen, smiling widely as Annie looked up whilst preparing popcorn, sending him an equally as wide smile with a hint of seduction to it.

She padded across the room with a large bowl in hand, placing it down on the floor in front of the chairs that were neatly lined up, making sure not to spill her handy work all over the place as she kicked her feet up and curled into the spot Jeff had saved her at his side. He kissed her shoulder before offering some of his drink, gulping it back as she shook her head and watched Britta join them, a towel wrapped around her hair as she dealt with her post-shower mane.

Jeff leant down and let his empty bottle rest on the floor, his now free hands skimming under Annie’s arms so he could pull her closer. Before the movie started Britta and Abed scrambled around, splitting some popcorn and squabbling over who should get which seat.

“You’re seriously not going to say anything, are you?” Jeff asked, speaking into the side of Annie’s hair, his chin moving against her scalp.

“About… what?” Abed responded as he finally took a seat where he rightfully belonged; his brown leather chair.

“About… you know, the fact that me and Annie are dating?”

“Why would we need to say anything about that?” Abed asked in bewilderment.

“Yeah, move on already, we all knew it was going to happen, it’s not as much of a big deal as you’re making it out to be.” Britta joined in, poking her toe in the direction of the DVD player, attempting to get Abed to move on too – from the conversation.

“Maybe you should be glad nobody’s making a big deal out of it… that’s pretty rare for this group of knuckleheads.” Annie looked up with a tight lipped smile, realising that they were fiddling with each other hands, the feeling sending a jolt through her in an all new and exciting way. They’d only been ‘dating’ for six days so the honeymoon phase had most definitely not worn off, and she honestly didn’t see it wearing off at all if all it meant was sleepovers at Jeff’s apartment and constant physical contact, which neither of them wanted to change.

“Hey look, I’m already rubbing off on you with the word knuckleheads… I like it.”

“Ugh! See? This is why we don’t care, because if we _do_ care, we end up watching you guys instead of the movie. Abed, put on the movie!”

Abed held out his hand with the remote, pressing the play button so the starting scene would play. Jeff titled his head down so his nose was pressed up against Annie’s jaw.

_“I guess the only person to tell now is Shirley, and I have a feeling she’ll be pretty cool with it.”_

Annie raised an eyebrow before she relaxed her face, her eyes brightening.

_“You called her didn’t you?”_

_“Well, she still doesn’t know it’s official but… yeah, she kind of knows.”_

_“Troy might want to know too. He messages with updates from time to time, maybe we should give him one?”_

Jeff shrugged as he ran a hand down her leg, stroking it over her foot as she watched the flickering screen before them. Her eyelashes fluttered, closing after a few minutes of him constantly running a pattern around her heel. Her peace and serenity was contagious as he felt himself slipping, his head falling in the same direction as hers. It was a Marvel movie anyway, so he wasn’t going to miss much. 

* * *

 

Jeff: Consider the dice, rolled – Jeff

Shirley: Oh Jeffrey! Does this mean you and Annie are an item? xx Shirley xx

Jeff: Something like that.

Shirley: I’m happy for you. If this is what you want then you should have it, just treat her well okay? And when I come over next, expect some words of advice.

Jeff: I was expecting them over text, to be honest with you.

Shirley: No, no, no. That’s a serious talk that needs to happen face to face. I’m sure you two are very happy together. xx

Jeff: We are, I think.

Jeff: [Picture attachment] Here, have a picture.

Shirley: Oh you look so handsome! And Annie looks so elegant… when was this?

Jeff: Saturday. First date.

Shirley: You’ll have to send me more! Xx

Jeff: Will do, but right now I have breakfast to make.

Shirley: For two? How sweet! Xx

Jeff: For four. Apparently when you date somebody with roommates, you have to cater for all. Got to go – talk to you soon.

* * *

 

One part of dating Jeff that surprised Annie was how open and relaxed he was about everything. Instead of jumping apart and hiding his face in embarrassment when somebody caught them making out, he’d shyly bob his head, hold her hand, wait until they’d gone and then continue.

Currently it was only ever Britta and Abed who caught them red-handed, seeing as Annie had decided (and Jeff had agreed) that it was probably best that they keep things on the low-down on campus, seeing as gossip spread like wild fire and they wouldn’t want any criticism or remarks sent their way to ruin the first few weeks of their relationship.

She could call it a relationship now, because Jeff treated it like one with all of his being. He cuddled _constantly._ Even if Annie were to just be standing in the kitchen of the apartment talking to Britta, he wouldn’t hesitate to walk past and wrap an arm around her, tucking his chin up on to her hair, zoning out as they spoke about when the trash was last put out and by whom.

At his place, other than the first week, they didn’t even always use the ‘no roommates’ benefit to their advantage. Most of the time they just curled up on his couch and watched The X-Files (her boxset was now at home in his DVD cabinet – he had a bigger TV than she did anyway, so it made sense), or curled up facing each other and just made out lazily between talking about their day.

He even went so far as agreeing to a cooking lesson on how to make blueberry pancakes, his only comment being - “So if I learn all of this, it doesn’t mean I’m expected to make them every day, does it? Because I can’t eat all of these carbs.” – which she brushed off and ignored, knowing full well that he’d end up making them as much as possible because she knew he felt a rush of pride when he could put a smile on her face.

They were learning new things about each other too, finding it amusing when they figured out more similarities between them, like how Jeff tended to play music in the morning (just like she did – much to Britta’s annoyance) and how they both slept on the left hand side of the bed (they compromised on that one by another session of cuddling – Jeff would pull her closer so she felt more comfortable).

Habits were merging too. At first Annie would rush to conceal herself in the morning, but once she saw that Jeff walked around in next to nothing, she became comfortable enough to lay in bed and eat breakfast with her creamy skin on show which was usually enough to get Jeff going again. He tackled her one morning once she’d put her plate down, his hands going straight to her shoulders so he was perched behind her, pecking at her neck.

Back on campus, it wasn’t as if they totally ignored each other, but they both had to be very careful about who was around. They weren’t quite sure how to break it to the Dean without the world exploding, especially since they’d heard about his initial reaction from the night of the dance.

They kept it low-key by only ever making out in Jeff’s office or in his car during lunchbreaks, because he often parked inside where nobody would find them anyway. Things had escalated rather quickly one time, especially with Jeff’s new found knowledge that she was on birth control meaning they could basically go to town whenever and wherever they wanted. Jeff had been late to his first afternoon class, meaning that he was pressing play on Planet Earth for the first time in what must have been almost a year, leaving behind a fogged up car and a slightly tousled and flustered looking Annie who had to go home to tame her hair down before heading off to work.

 _Work_ being one of the main instigators of Jeff missing her during the day, due to the fact she’d given him strict instructions not to text or call her when she was working unless it was an emergency because she’d end up getting distracted, _especially_ if he sent her pictures, which had to stop unless he knew she was home.

Even after _two_ weeks, Britta and Abed had yet to mention the changes or even complain when Jeff fairly obviously slept over, waking up and wondering around the apartment in his boxers (Abed was hardly ever in the same room to notice and Britta’s eyes were usually too fogged over in the morning for her to care), searching through the cupboards to find a healthy option for his breakfast, usually ending up with something like sliced banana on toast. He’d add peanut butter to Annie’s because she preferred having an additional flavouring.

Shirley rang up Annie one evening for a girly gossip chat, leaving until the very end to mention that she’d heard from Jeff about their new status, making Annie blush and hold back a giddy squeal of excitement because anytime anyone mentioned the fact that she was dating _Jeff Winger,_ her heart skipped a beat.

Troy texted back with a simple ‘That’s awesome. You guys are hot together.’ leaving both of them feeling fairly chuffed. Jeff showed Annie his new lock screen which was of the two of them tucked up in Jeff’s sheets, with Jeff pressing a kiss to Annie’s temple. Some might say it was rather ostentatious and posy, but they both agreed it solidified Troy’s point – they _were_ hot together. Annie changed her Facebook profile picture to a fairly similar shot but without the lack of clothing.

She received a new friend request and a like a couple of hours later, snuggling into Jeff’s side to click accept on ‘Doreen Winger’.

* * *

They were walking through town to a deli for lunch one Saturday afternoon when Annie felt a buzz in her pocket, her hand coming up to her mouth as she read that the sender was from the FBI.

“Jeff… Jeff, wait, wait, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” She bit her lip and read through the words as quickly as she possibly could, her open mouth turning into a teethy grin as she squealed and jumped on the spot.

“I got an interview! They want me to come in for an interview!” She put her phone back down in her pocket before clapping her hands in the air, darting forward so that Jeff could scoop her up in his arms.

“I told you, you would.” He lowered her to the ground, trying not to blush at her overpowering rush of emotion and happiness as he clung onto his neck.

“It’s next Thursday… which is fine because I don’t have work and I only have a, well, ‘blow off’ class which I can skip out on.” He tilted his head with a raised eyebrow, a smirk on his face.

“A blow off class? Since when did you take them?”

“I’ve been taking it all year? Did I not tell you? It’s an art class… I don’t know, I’ve always be interested in drawing and all that kind of stuff so I thought I’d take it to fill up some time.” Jeff dropped out his bottom lip to nod before it was captured by her own, as they enjoyed a sweet kiss in the middle of a fairly busy sidewalk.

“You’re going to ace it. I know you will.”

“Thanks.”

“Oh by the way, have I told you today? You’re beautiful.”

She accepted that as another form of ‘I love you’, so she smiled and squeezed his hand.

“You too.”

* * *

 

“I’m super nervous and I’ve still got…” Annie rolled up the sleeve of her blazer to check the time, “…seven hours to go.” She was standing by the front door of Jeff’s apartment as she waited for him to tie up his laces, her back pack by his feet (he carried it to the car like the gentleman that he was, whenever she was over).

“You’ll be fine. You’ve just got to be as kick-ass as you usually are.” He stood up and pulled her in for a hug, his hands underneath her blazer, tickling at her back where her blouse tucked into her pants.

“I know. And plus, if it doesn’t go to plan, I’m coming back to your place again, aren’t I?”

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow and purred as he pressed his forehead against hers, feeling her hands drop to his belt.

“Mhmm. I’m even wearing that front clasp bra that you like.” She brought her hands up to her blouse and pulled open a single button. Jeff licked his lips as he dropped his eyes, seeing the navy lace peep through.

“You’re going to be the death of me, you know that, right?”

“Yup.”

* * *

 

“Eeek! It’s time for me to go…” Annie slid out of her chair in the study room, nervously chewing at her lip as she gathered her things, all of the committee (including the Dean this time – limiting Jeff’s ability to tease Annie with his foot, which was probably for the best seeing as he couldn’t look at her blouse without getting seriously turned on) flicking between her and Jeff, groaning as he reached out a hand as she walked past.

“Wish me luck!” Everyone called out, including Jeff, making her stand a little taller, knowing she had people to support her.

She spun around and headed to the door of the library, ready to push through when she heard Jeff jogging behind her, calling out her name. She smiled up at him as he slowed down.

“I just wanted to say good luck again… and seriously, if you want me to drive you, let me know.” She rolled her eyes before leaning up and pulling him down for a hug.

“It’s fine, I have a cab which will get me there on time with no hiccups. But… thank you.”

He pouted before receiving a kiss and a wink as she turned again. Just before she walked away down the steps, Jeff couldn’t help himself but call out…

“I love you!”

He saw her turn and blow a kiss, resisting the urge to catch it as a student walked behind him. He took a deep breath before heading back to the study room, where the group was still there, watching. When he sat back down on his chair, he noticed they were all wide eyed.

“What?”

All of a sudden he was being bombarded with questions and statements including “How long have you being saying that?” and “You once told Troy and I that you didn’t believe in love. This is great character growth for you.”. He shook his head and sighed, rubbing his ring finger in his hand as he waited for it to all subside.

“I thought you guys said it wasn’t a big deal? I love Annie. I thought you weren’t surprised?” He shrugged and held his hands in the air before turning to face Craig who had a hand to his mouth.

He fell from his chair and gasped.

* * *

 

Jeff hadn’t heard a single word from Annie all day since she’d left for the interview, so he was slightly concerned that he’d be dealing with _genuine_ tears rather than happy ones when he pulled open his door after hours of waiting impatiently. His fears fell away when she stood before him though; her face lit up as she held on to the straps of her bag. 

He stood back and let her in, already smiling as he followed her, waiting for her to spin around and face him. She did just that, whipping her hair around before clasping her hands under her chin.

“I… got it! I got it! I got the internship! I’m interning at the FBI! Eeep!” He laughed as she spun around and jumped giddily, not knowing until now, how excited a person could _really_ get. What on earth would her response be to winning the lottery? He realised it would probably be fear and worry over how to deal with an excessive amount of money.

“That’s exciting, right?” She asked, the grin on her face yet to subside.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. That’s awesome. You should be really proud.”

She let out a satisfied sigh before stepping out of the hug he’d embraced her in, catching a glimpse of some grocery bags on the kitchen countertop.

“You went shopping?” She piped up, sliding through the room to peep into the bags, intrigued to see what he’d bought. He followed her slowly, nodding as he went, scratching behind his head as he replied.

“Yeah… yeah I did.”

“Do you need some help putting it away? I basically know where everything goes now, so…” He shook his head and carried on with the obscure silence, brushing a hand down his face as he reached a hand into a bag, pulling out a box of rice and a bag of fresh spinach.

She put away a bottle of red wine in his wine holder, watching him out of the corner of his eye as he pulled open the fridge and held the door open for longer than it would usually take to put away a bottle of almond milk.

He was staring at the edge of a glass shelf, pulling in his lips as he tried to push away the feeling of uncertainty that had suddenly overcome him. He blinked before closing the door, a smile sliding on to his face as Annie held out some bagels for him to put away. She held a hand onto the side of the counter before answering the question in his mind.

“It’s in DC.”

He resisted the urge to squish the bagels to smithereens as he continued to hold the bag in his hand.

“Yeah I know; you didn’t need to mention it.”

“I just… I thought you might want to know for sure.”

“Yeah I guess… yeah, thanks for letting me know.”

“I’ve never been to DC so the fact I’m going to work at my _dream_ job for eight weeks… it couldn’t be better, could it?”

 _It could be…_ is what Jeff didn’t say.

“Yeah, no, of course, it’s going to be awesome. You can probably fly to New York easily too, right?”

“I know, I’ve already looked. I don’t think I’ll be able to afford it though, but we’ll see.”

Jeff opened up the bag of ingredients he’d purchased as a celebratory meal, using it as a welcome distraction from his thoughts.

“Err, you haven’t eaten already, have you?” She shook her head as she poured herself a glass of water, placing her hand on his shoulder as she peered over and looked into the bag, spying some noodles and mixed veggies.

“Looks yummy. Can I take a shower whilst you prepare?”

“Yeah sure.”

She reached up on her tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek, leaving him to see her walk away and shut the door to his bedroom. Before getting started on the food, he emptied the bag for dinner, threw the plastic carrier into the trash and settled his eyes on to the final bag which now he thought about it, was a stupid idea in the first place, especially today of all days.

He looked inside and peered at a new purple toothbrush encased in plastic, a small box of hair ties, one ribbon tied set of purple socks which were the highest quality he could find (she tended to get cold feet in his apartment), a packet of fresh blueberries, a small packet of grape flavoured Nerds (he’d gone for colour over taste because anything he saw that was purple now just reminded him of her) and a tub of the expensive shower gel that she’d started to use up in his bathroom (which was of course coincidentally packaged in a lilacy shimmery grey).

He’d have to give it to her though, because they were all meant to be small tokens to show her how proud he really was – because even if it didn’t seem it, he _really_ really was. She was going off to DC for the summer and was about to have the time of her life – how could he _not_ be happy for her?

He heard a door creak open, so he stood up straight and smiled when she entered the room, draped in an old grey t-shirt of his that he’d given to her the morning after their first date.

“That was a quick shower.”

“Yeah well, I wanted to spend some time with you.”

“I, erm, I got something for you.”

“Aww, you didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not much but… you can see for yourself. It’s just some stuff you can keep here… and eat.”

She rested against his arm as she opened up the bag, pulling out the various items, her eyes lighting up mainly for the socks and blueberries.

“Aww, Jeff, this is so sweet. And good choice on the toothbrush. I was thinking of getting one anyway because I lost my travel cap and I didn’t want my usual one to get dirty in my bag.”

He smirked with a quiet laugh, accepting a ‘thank you kiss’ which soon moved into make out territory as Jeff lifted her up onto the kitchen counter, flinching as the packet of Nerds dropped onto the floor.

“I love you.” He mumbled against her neck, his beard leaving a rosy trail as he nudged the neck of _her_ t-shirt over her shoulder.

“I love you too… are you going to make dinner?” She giggled as he slid a hand up underneath the soft and bobbled fabric, his rough skin meeting against her silky smooth rib cage.

“I’m not really hungry just yet.”

“Hmm… well I am.”

He lifted his head as she hooked her feet around his hips, her whole body heating up with a tantalising warmth as she glanced down at his jeans which were visibly tighter.

“Hm, maybe I _won’t_ miss you so much when you go away because I won’t have to cook for you all the time.”

“So many lies. You’ll be on the phone to me every night crying because you want me so much.”

Her _own_ words were enough for her to get on the same page with Jeff, letting him slide her off the counter and messily kiss her on the way to his bedroom.

After eventually eating a few hours later, Jeff stood in the bathroom brushing his teeth, a white foam collecting in his mouth and around the edges of his stubbly top lip. He glanced down at the glass on his sink, Annie’s new purple toothbrush standing alone with the tube of toothpaste. He gulped, immediately regretting it as he coughed out what he’d swallowed, bending down to gargle some water in the back of his throat.

“You okay?” He turned to see her watching him, her hair now up in a bun as she got ready for bed. Her feet were in a new pair of socks that made the whole ‘old boyfriend’s t-shirt’ look, oddly, even more enticing.

If ten inches made him greedy for more and a hundred yards was enough to make the whole word spin around him in a blur of white noise and flashing colours, he truly didn’t want to know what one-thousand-seven-hundred miles felt like.

“Yeah, just tired.”

She clicked the bathroom light off before sinking onto the bed besides him.

“That’s what happens when you choose sex over dinner.”


	15. You're Everything Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff and Annie end up on yet another mountain.

Britta was leaning on her hands as she turned her head from Jeff to Annie at the study room table, listening intently as they disagreed on what the budget for the fitness changing rooms should be spent on. There had been word from students that the current state of them wasn’t up to standard.

“Hairdryers aren’t _essential_ though, what about just improving the actual room? Replace fittings and lights and freshen it up.”

“Because that’s not what people want. They want luxury items so it’s a more enjoyable experience. They don’t care about lights. When you come out of the gym you don’t think ‘Oh I hope there’s good light in here whilst I change out my sweaty gear’, you think, ‘I hope there’s something to dry my hair with after having a shower’.”

“Well then, why don’t we improve the showers?”

“The showers are fine. The hairdryers aren’t, because there _aren’t_ any.”

“We don’t _need_ hairdryers. You’re only suggesting them because you go to a fancy gym where they can _afford_ things like that.”

“Oh I’m sorry for being able to afford to go to a nice gym and work out on my body which _you_ get to put your hands on every night. I don’t see you complaining.”

“Yeah because I don’t _care_ what you look like Jeff! And I doubt hardly anyone at Greendale really cares about their hair after doing sports. Not everyone’s shallow.”

“Huh? Did you just call me _shallow?_ Thanks Annie, I really appreciate it. Nice to know you love me.”

“I _do_ love you.”

“Doesn’t really seem like it right now.”

“Well, maybe that’s because it doesn’t seem like you love _me_ right now. I mean, what even was that last night? You went straight to sleep without even saying good night to me.”

“I WAS TIRED!”

Chang was now backing out of the room slowly, his eyes wide open as Jeff flared his nostrils and ground down on his teeth. Ignoring Britta who was now gesturing towards Abed, wondering what to do with what they supposed was Jeff and Annie’s first fight as a couple.

“Dean-dong, haha, howdy committee… sorry to interrupt but I want you to meet your _new_ committee members, Francesca Dart and… Elroy Pat…apat, Patakick?”

“Patashnik. Elroy Patashnik. Nice to meet you all.” The older looking man with grey hair waddled into the room, holding out a hand to Britta who was now standing, her eyes squinting in suspicion. Annie looked over to Jeff, both of them breaking out of their anger to raise an eyebrow at each other.

“I’m Francesca, but please, call me Frankie. I’ll be heading up the meetings from now on but I don’t want you to feel as if I’m taking control completely. I’ll just need you to run by any ideas that you have so I can sign them off. Okay, let’s get this show on the road. Where were we?” Frankie sat down in the chair that used to be home to Pierce, opening up her leather binder. Jeff watched as Annie scratched behind her ear, trying to distract from the fact that her own binder was covered in multi-coloured faux fur.

“Well, where were _we?_ I think you mean, where were _we,_ as in _us,_ the committee which you’ve decided to join…” Jeff leant forward, moving his hands about whilst glancing to Annie every now and then.

“Carry on. I’m just here to officiate.”

Abed was looking down with his eyes wide open, flicking between Frankie and Elroy, who had sat down in Chang’s chair.

“Okay, well… then, we were just discussing,” Jeff paused and sighed as he saw Annie pout at the table, “how… we need to make some improvements in the changing rooms of the gym… we need to change some light fixtures and do some cleaning up.” Annie sent him a small smile, before adding on the end.

“…and we need to add a _couple_ of hairdryers.”

“ _If_ we can afford it.” Jeff added again, before slowly blinking at Annie, apologising through a way only she would notice. They all heard the Dean laugh in the hallway before he scurried back in, throwing up his hands as he blurted out in hurried speech…

“Oh and I used the budget for the gymnasium on a giant fiberglass hand! Hurrah!” He carried on laughing awkwardly as everyone’s faces dropped. Frankie started scribbling out a line in her notepad.

“Just going to put a quick pause on those hairdryers…”

“I guess this is why we have you two here, then.” Jeff gulped.

* * *

 

Somehow a few days later, the committee (sans Chang – nobody had seen him since he’d backed away at Jeff’s raised voice) found themselves on a road trip in Elroy’s RV (apparently he lived in it full time), delivering a nineteen-foot fiberglass hand to an even bigger weirder than the Dean, who had agreed to buy it off the school on eBay.

Annie had promised Britta and Abed that she’d spend some more time with them over the next month or so before going away on her internship, especially Abed seeing as he was awaiting a response to his online interview with somebody in LA in regards to a new pilot they were shooting, meaning she hadn’t had much chance to smooth things over completely with Jeff since their fight and eyeball language apology.

They both knew that they’d have to find some time alone to talk (in a mobile home, bearing in mind), as they squished onto a bench seat, Annie’s head resting against Jeff’s chest as they held hands in the pocket of Annie’s hoodie.

When Elroy pulled over and disaster struck though, they lost hope of ever relieving the tension as everybody scrambled over what to do with no gas and an enormous hand that had just rolled off of the roof.

“EVERYBODY SHUT UP!” Jeff shouted over their voices, taking a breather as they all stood sharp and listened.

“Everything is going to be okay. We all just need to _calm_ down. We’ll wait for somebody to come and tow us, or fill us up or whatever, we’ll call the guy from eBay and tell him there’s been a slight delay, we’ll sleep in here all night if we have to and we’ll deal with it all in a _calm_ and _responsible_ manner. All we need is food, water, and each other…” Jeff turned and crossed his arms over to face the Dean, “…and an apology from Craig for _ruining_ our weekend and buying the _stupid_ hand in the first place!”

He started sobbing as everyone else followed suit in crossing their arms and glaring at him.

“It’s not _my_ fault we got stuck up a mountain with limited resources _okay? Elroy_ was the one who forgot to fill up the tank, not me!”

“No, you’re right, it wasn’t you, but we wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t have bought a nineteen-foot hand for a school that can’t afford computers to run anything higher than Windows XP!” Annie was watching on in concern as Jeff lost his temper.

“Our computers run on Excel Jeffrey!”

“THAT’S A SOFTWARE FOR MAKING SPREADSHEETS!”

Annie stood forward and sighed, holding down Jeff’s arm as he stood forward and pointed a finger in the Dean’s face. He turned and faced her, his nostrils still flared.

“Okay fine! I’m a _bad Dean!”_

“No! You do _not_ get to say that. You say that every time something goes wrong. If that’s the truth Craig, then make some improvements because otherwise I swear to you I will quit. You gave me this job, so I’m doing it the best that I can but you have to _promise_ me that you’ll make it worth it.”

Annie held herself back as the Dean started crying, bawling his eyes out like a giant baby with a hairless head included.

“I just got off of the phone… we should have help arriving with us tomorrow morning. Apparently its Armed Forces day and we’re on a very long wait list, so I suggest we all just try and get some sleep and leave each other alone. Mr Winger, Jeff, can I have a word with you outside?” Jeff rolled his neck and swiped his lips with his tongue before following Frankie down the rickety steps, facing his back to the RV, knowing that everyone was watching on through the windows.

“I just wanted to have a quick word with you about that kind of behaviour… I know I might not be the head person in charge around here and I might not have been here long enough to mention such a thing, but I most definitely have more control over things than you do, and the HR department _will_ listen if I speak up about what I just witnessed.”

“You just _witnessed?_ You really haven’t been here long enough if you’re talking to me about my ‘behaviour’ towards the Dean of a community college that actually, when you think about it, is at his _least_ insane currently because he’s stopped wearing costumes to work every morning.”

“Like I said, it might be too soon to say something, but my main concern is that you don’t actually want to be here, and I’m worried that you might be here for the wrong reasons. I also noticed that you drink. I’d be happy to suggest a support group if you believe it’s necessary.”

“Oh, _brother_. I drink? Yeah I have a glass of scotch every now and then when I want it but I’m not drinking in my classes and using violent behaviour against anyone _but_ the Dean. I mean, come on, how can you not see how ridiculous this all is?” Jeff scrunched up his shoulders and signalled to the hand behind her.

“I do understand the circumstances but I want to make sure that all of the staff and teachers at Greendale are here for the right reasons – to improve the school, because you’re right, the school does need improving. I believe you are, and in fact, feedback from your students shows me that you _are_ improving the school, however if the only reason you’re staying on is because you don’t want to say goodbye, then I’m be happy to help change your mind-set if you want it.”

“All I want and _need_ is ten minutes alone. I’m kind of going through some stuff right now.” They’d somehow turned so that Jeff could see the window out of his left eye, Annie trying to smile supportively over Abed’s shoulder.

“If you’re going through some stuff, I know of an emotional support group that my mentally ill sister goes to.” Jeff smiled before turning, pointing to the window.

“I have an emotional support group… they’re all in that RV.”

“I hope we can get along Jeff. If making Greendale the best place it can be is on your to-do list, then I’m sure we will.” He nodded to that, being left slightly confused as to why he’d _personally_ been pulled to the side to be told that. He was improving Greendale… heck, they almost got the school sold last year because things had gotten so good.

Jeff stood with his hands in his pocket as Frankie left him alone, giving himself a moment to look out at the view, his mind flashing back to standing next to Annie at the lake before she’d known… before _he’d_ known, really. It was a whole different story being able to _actually_ experience being in love with her. But sometimes, with proof of the past few days, loving her too much got in the way, because he was so worried that she’d work out who he really was, and how much better she could be doing.

“Hey.” He sighed with relief as she came and stood next to him, mirroring his pose as she pointed her fingers into her pockets. He smirked at himself, realising he hadn’t only been taking in the view; he’d also been waiting for her to join him, knowing she would.

“Hey.”

“Do you want to sit down so that they can’t eaves drop on our conversation?” He laughed under his breath as he looked back and saw Britta and Abed watching on. He nodded before joining her in crouching down onto the tarmac, pressing their backs up to the RV, their legs stretched out in front of them.

“What did she say to you?”

“Frankie? Oh a load of stuff about how I should improve my behaviour and how I should move on from Greendale if the only reason I’m clinging on is for sentimentality. She’s like an evil version of you.”

“Oh gee, thanks!”

“Oh don’t worry about it, you’re way better… plus I love you and I get to sleep with you. She hasn’t tried to make a single move. Have I lost my charm and appeal now that I’m a taken man?” Annie shrugged and smiled, shifting a little closer as some tension started to lift already.

Jeff looked down at his hands before realising something was missing. He stretched over and held her own before speaking.

“I’m sorry. I know things haven’t been perfect but… I guess… I _really_ don’t want you to leave. I know it’s only eight weeks and you’ll be back but, the idea of you going off and… recognising that I’m just some insecure jerk who takes six years to tell someone that I love them and that there are way better guys out there doing way better things.

I want you to go, you have no idea how badly I want you to go and have an amazing time… but I guess I don’t want you to go off and have an amazing time _without_ me… because I’m selfish like that. Maybe that’s what Frankie sees in me… I hold things close because if I let them go, it becomes more official that there are better options.”

Annie was leaning against his shoulder now, everything falling into place as to why it had been tense. She’d totally ignored the fact that Jeff struggled with people leaving… not that she was leaving, or that she was going to ignore him or go off into the sunset with someone else. She loved him; she was in this for the long haul. She was going to miss him as much as he was going to miss her.

“First of all… why do all our deep conversations end up happening at night time… in the mountains? Is it something about the altitude?”

He laughed and tilted his head back against the RV, his throat rippling as he swallowed.

“Second of all… you’re not a jerk for thinking all of that. I’m actually _honoured._ What kind of person _wouldn’t_ want a guy to be worried about things not working out because he doesn’t want it to go wrong? It shows me how much you actually _care._ But I don’t want you not trusting me in the fact that I’ve made my decision. I want to be with you too… I’m not going to go out and find somebody else. I would have by now, if I didn’t think that this was the best option.

I’ve dated guys and you’ve dated women… but for some reason, and I’m _not_ saying I believe in fate and destiny… we’ve ended up with each other. I can’t say it’s going to be perfect and this week has proven that. In fact, me going away will prove that because I won’t be here. But, it’s eight weeks and when I come back… it will be even more exciting because we’ll just be able to enjoy it.”

He rested his cheek on her hair before lifting it suddenly, biting down on his lip before asking the question he hadn’t dare ask in case it had been the wrong one. Annie sat up as he did, concerned that _she_ was the one saying the wrong thing.

“Why don’t I come with you?” Jeff searched her eyes as she repeated the question in her mind. Her lips parted as she faltered. Jeff followed suit by slumping back down.

“Okay, yeah, maybe I shouldn’t have asked tha-.”

“No, no, I’m not saying no… in fact, I’ve been thinking of asking you the same the question.” Jeff jolted his head back and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“You have?”

“Yes! I know might not have seemed like it, but, I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? I mean, I’m not expecting you to say yes or anything but…”

She was standing up now, pulling him with her, trying her best to ignore the window even though it was now shut up with a curtain.

“I don’t know… I guess… why would you want to spend your summer with me? I won’t even be there most of the time.”

Jeff shook his head, at a loss for words.

“What are you _talking_ about? That’s the whole point… I want to spend _all_ of my time with you. In fact, it’s kind of scary. If I could, I’d lock you up with me forever… not… that I’m going to anytime soon, because that would be too early, right?”

“Just a tad.”

“Okay but seriously, before I tell you how ridiculous you’re being, I’m going to give you an out, right now. If you want out of this, then I’m telling you to run. Jump straight off of that cliff if you want anything less than for me to spend all of my time with you… because that’s what I want. I don’t care if you’re not going to be there.”

“Oh okay then, I guess I’ll just run…” She nodded her head with a laughing smile, facing the drop beside them that was only guarded by a small metal bar. She mimed jumping off, making Jeff laugh as he reached out for her hand.

“I’m being serious… jumping off of that cliff would probably be less painful than a life with me.”

“Oh wow, you’re _really_ selling this, aren’t you?”

“I’m just saying… please don’t ever think I don’t want to spend time with you. You’re right, it’s not always going to be perfect and I know that. I know that sometimes I probably will want to lock myself away and not talk to you, but it would only ever be temporary. I promise.”

She nodded as she tickled her fingers at the back of his neck, pulling him down for a kiss as she stretched up on her toes, his hands wrapping around her waist. As they pulled apart, he had to ask again.

“Why _did_ you think I didn’t want to spend the summer with you?” She shrugged.

“I don’t know, because… I’m nothing special?”

He shook his head and looked away, up into the stars, smiling as he looked back down.

“No, that’s not true. You’re everything special… but again, I’d run. I’d really run for it.”

So she did. She spun on her heels and started jogging across the layby, going in circles as she reached the edge, her hands in the air.

“I’m running! I’m running away from Jeff!” He laughed, scrunching in his shoulders as he watched her, realising that she was right in the fact that he was a dork, due to the fact he was finding it so amusing. He pulled her in when she returned, pulling away from her lips every few seconds to kiss her all over again.

They heard the RV door open, so they parted slightly, seeing everyone tumble out.

“Why are you all coming out?”

“Because you’ve been suffocating us in an RV where the only door leads out onto your sappy love story. We guessed you guys were done when we heard Annie screaming, which by the way, isn’t exactly advised on a _mountain.”_ Britta moaned.

“It’s true, we thought maybe you’d fallen, but I know Jeff wouldn’t let that happen.” Jeff tilted his head at Abed’s statement, nodding in agreement.

“Who brought the snacks? I’m hungry and I emptied my fridge before we left.” Annie piped up excitedly, leaving Jeff behind for a few minutes so she could get her bag to pass around chips and pretzels, giving Elroy first choice seeing as he'd asked.

Jeff noticed her shiver when she returned, so he slipped off his hoodie without her knowing and passed it over, making her pout in awe as he shrugged and sat back down on the ground, waiting for her to join him once she’d covered herself in draping navy blue jersey.

_“You should keep that one. Isn’t that what people do? You can have a reminder or something.”_

Annie shook her head against his shoulder, passing over her bag of pretzels for him to dig into.

_“I won’t need a reminder, because you’re coming with me.”_


	16. I Feel Strangely Honoured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie's introduced to new parts of Jeff's life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Ridley was a request... because apparently he needs to be more than just a S6 end-tag character)

They’d found a small one bed apartment and the countdown had begun until they departed for DC at the start of June. Annie was crossed legged on Jeff’s bed as he tidied up his beard in the bathroom, squinting as he tried to perfect its symmetricity.

“Can I have your passport? I need to book the flight.”

“You don’t need it. I’ll book it.” Jeff called out, stretching up his neck as he flicked on his electric shaver.

“It’s fine, it won’t cost that much more and it will just be easier to do it all in one, plus you’re already paying the deposit for the apartment.”

“Yeah well, it’s fine if I pay this too.”

Annie rolled her eyes and closed the tab, scrambling off the bed when she heard a knock at the door. She frowned in confusion as she pulled it open, raising an eyebrow at an unfamiliar face.

“Hi… can… I… help… you?”

“Erm, yes, Jeff called for my help.” Annie jolted her neck out as she was left with a blank expression having never seen the man before in her life. Not that she expected to know everyone in Jeff’s life, but she’d started to become familiar with the faces in the apartment block and his was definitely a new one.

“Can I ask for your name…?” He nodded with a smile, his eyes wide as he held his hands down in front of him.

“It’s Ryan.”

“Ridley. Hey man.” Annie’s eyes widened as Jeff appeared behind her, putting a hand up on the door frame, obviously acquainted with ‘Ryan Ridley’.

“Hey, so you wanted me to pick up a mattress?”

“Yeah, great, thanks, it’s in the other room. Can you come give me a hand?”

Annie was still standing with wide eyes as they moved past her, leaving her to take in the fact that some random dude called ‘Ryan Ridley’ had just turned up at Jeff’s apartment and was helping him move a mattress – _what_ mattress, even?

She realised it had been underneath his bed as they turned it on its side and manoeuvred it through the room, both of them being able to carry it with ease.

“Do you need any help to your car, or should that be okay?”

“It should be okay. Thank you so much once again, I know you said you were squeezed for time, but I honestly can’t fit that in my car.”

“It’s not a problem at all. I owe you.”

“Thanks again. I’m actually going away soon, so I probably won’t call you for a while, but as soon as I’m back, I’m sure I’ll be back in touch.”

Annie’s eyes bulged even further as Ryan’s smile changed from a genuine one to gritted teeth. Jeff patted Ryan on the back, closed the door and walked into the kitchen to pour out some wine for the both of them.

She waited a moment before it became fairly obvious Jeff wasn’t going to explain a single thing without a prompt.

“What the _hell_ was that?!” Jeff shrugged nonchalantly as he passed over her wine glass.

“That was Ryan.”

“Erm… and why do you know him? And why was he moving a mattress? And why do you have a second mattress? And _all_ of these obvious questions that you’re _not_ answering.”

“I saved his life at the gym… so now he helps me back. I bought a new mattress a while ago, so I still had my old one to get rid of.”

“You _saved_ his life? When?”

“A few years ago… he had too much weight on him, I took the load and he survived to tell the tale.”

“He’s _still_ helping you? It’s been _several_ years?”

“Yeah, he always says yes.”

“I suppose that’s because you… _always_ ask him?”

Jeff dropped down onto the couch, putting his legs up in the air to capture Annie between them as she stood above him, holding a hand at her elbow where she was holding her wine in the other.

“It’s not a big deal. I saved his life, he saves mine.”

“Jeff, okay, as your _girlfriend_ can I please tell you to _stop_ asking things of him? Because that’s unpaid work. I saw his face when you said you were going to call again. Plus, what if I’d been naked? He could have seen me _naked._ ”

“Why would you be answering the door naked?”

“What if _you’d_ answered the door and I’d been naked in the background?"

“I would have told you to hide.”

She huffed before pulling away in disgust.

“Please don’t call him again. That’s just not right, okay? Otherwise I’ll text him and delete his number for good.”

 _“The number won’t really matter… I have it memorised.”_ She rolled her eyes at his mumble before gasping at his phone that was now ringing.

“Oh my gosh! Who are all these people?!”

He tilted his head and stuck his tongue to his mouth as he lifted his phone to his ear.

“My mom.”

Annie mouthed an ‘Oh’ before tucking her hair behind her ear, pacing around the room nervously. She hadn’t messaged Doreen since she’d added her on Facebook, mainly because she wasn’t exactly sure how Jeff would feel about it, so the fact that she was now _ringing_ made things feel a little nerve-racking.

“Hey mom, what’s going on? … Yeah, I’m fine, are you okay? … No, it’s just you never usually call this late … I’m at home … Yeah, you might be … She’s fine … Maybe … Okay fine, yes, she’s here … Any other news? No not really, well, actually, no, I do. I was going to call you anyway or maybe come over, but I’m going away in June … DC … Yes, mom, _Washington_ DC … Yes … She has a work internship thing so I thought I’d tag along … What? No, mom, that’s way too soon, I can’t, she doesn’t want, no … Fine, I’ll ask her … Ask her now? … Give me a minute, I’ll put you on hold.”

Jeff paused, muted the microphone on his phone and looked over his shoulder to wear Annie was sat at the kitchen table.

“So my mom wants to meet you.”

She sat up and put a hand to her chest, waiting for Jeff to continue.

“She wants to invite us over to dinner before we go, which I know is still in a month or so but she’s like that, she gets over excited when she hears news.” He was standing now, holding his phone out in his hand, careful not to touch the screen.

“Dinner? At your mom’s house?”

“Yeah.”

“Well when? Because I don’t know anything about her… what if I offend her? What if she really hates me and doesn’t want us to be together so she doesn’t ever invite us round and she has no interest in knowing her grandkids? What if sh-.”

“Annie… calm down. And grandkids? You’re rambling. First of all, she’s not going to hate you because it’s pretty much sold that she already loves you and is going to take you and her _grandkids_ out on trips to the mall.”

“How do you know that? She’s never met me. Plus, does she… _know…_ how…” Annie dropped her voice to a whisper as she raised from her chair, receiving Jeff’s hands on both of her shoulders, reassuringly, “… _old I am?”_

Jeff rolled his eyes.

“Because, I love you and that’s all she cares about, trust me. And… that doesn’t matter. If it doesn’t matter to me and it doesn’t matter to you, then it won’t matter to her. Plus, she’s added you on Facebook, I’m pretty sure she would have found that out.”

“You… _saw_ that?”

“Yeah, I did… quick word of advice; don’t tag me in things on Facebook.”

Annie dropped her eyes to Jeff’s phone that was still in his hand. He couldn’t quite read her expression but it looked something along the lines of uncertainty and fear.

“We don’t have to…I get that it’s probably too soon.”

“No, no, I _want_ to meet your mom, you just have to promise me that between now and then, you tell me as much as you possibly can about her, okay?”

“Whatever. Okay.” He nodded, smoothing his hands down her arms before switching the microphone back on, holding the screen back to his ear once he’d made sure his mom was still waiting.

“Hey I’m back … Yeah, we’ll come … June 2nd … 16th of May? Let me check …”

 _“Is that okay? 16 th of May? Pretty sure it’s a Saturday.” _Annie swiped through her phone calendar within the blink of an eye, mouthing ‘Yeah’ with a quick thumbs up.

“Yeah that’s fine mom …  7 o’clock? Sure … Thanks … Yeah, I’ll call you soon … You too … Bye.”

Jeff swung his feet over each other as he walked back to Annie, sighing before tilting his head to find her hair in front of her face, her brows contorted and her lips twisted as she closed her eyes and started to breathe from her mouth.

“Hey… hey, what’s going on? Wha… is this about my mom? Because honestly, we really don’t have to go and see her if you don’t want to…”

“It’s not that… well, it partly is, but I _do_ want to meet her… it’s just… this is my _one_ chance to impress her. If I _don’t_ then…” Annie gazed down at the table top at her side, focusing on where she could see the reflection of Jeff’s hair as he wilted, dropping so he was sat down on the floor in front of her.

“Then you don’t even have _my_ mom.”

“I don’t even know why that affects me so much! It’s not like I expect anything and, it’s kind of _weird_ in some respect, but the _possibility_ of her taking me to the mall… I need a fact file! I need to know everything about her.”

“You want a fact file on my mom? Here’s the fact fil-.”

“Wait, no, I need a pen and pap-.”

“You do _not_ need a pen and paper. Okay? Here’s the deal; she’s been a single mom since I was twelve, she used to be a baker but now she does volunteer work, I only really started talking to her once I was at Greendale because you all made me feel bad for _not_ talking to her, she has two sisters, Judith and Marie, but I don’t really like Marie because she thinks I’m an idiot for not getting back in touch with my dad.

She watches TV shows like Bones, she has _very_ strong opinions on politics so honestly if you don’t want to waste your time, _don’t_ ask. She cooks way too much food so we’re probably going to come back with enough left-overs to last us ten decades and _finally_ she’s going to love you, so don’t worry about it.”

He turned to lift his chin on to her lap, digging his face into her thighs when he saw her hands at her phone.

“You typed that all out, didn’t you?”

“Still typing.”

* * *

 

It was three weeks until they left for DC and three days until Annie met Doreen for the first time. Everything was currently a ticking time bomb for exciting new adventures, leaving no time to spare to get things in order, according to Annie.

“You’re obsessive, you know that?” Jeff stated, as he walked along ‘aisle 32’ of the grocery store, holding Annie’s hand as she stretched up to a shelf higher than herself, pulling down a set of travel size tissues, dropping them into the basket in Jeff’s _other_ hand, before crossing them off her two-page list.

“I’m not obsessive, I just want to make sure that I have everything ready before we leave. But… I’d rather be obsessive than not care at all.”

Jeff raised his eyebrows as she turned and stood in front of him, their fingers still clasping onto each other as she pulled apart the stapled piece of paper in her hand.

“There. You can go and make use of yourself.”

“I have to go and get _all_ of this? What even is half of this stuff?”

Annie bobbed her head before rounding his arm to run a finger through the most important items.

“These are for the flight, these are a few travel size items that should last us the first week or so, I need to replace those cleaning products in our apartment because I can’t trust Britta to buy them on her own accord and _those_ are some snacks for later because Abed’s having a movie night.”

“You do realise that DC isn’t a different _country,_ right? There’ll be a grocery store nearby.”

Annie waved her hand in the air before leaning her weight on one leg to glare at him.

“Yes, obviously, but then it will eat into our time we’ve saved to explore. If we get the bare necessities _now,_ then we won’t waste the week we’ve planned before I have to start work. Okay?”

“Remind me not to propose. I don’t need to be married to you because I basically already am.”

She stuck her tongue out at that, but wasn’t stubborn enough to resist pressing her lips to his, teasing him by dropping down after just the right amount of time to leave him wanting more. He began walking off in the opposite direction before he chased her down again.

“Why are there… _pads_ on my list?”

“Because I need them?”

“So you can get them right?”

“If we’re already married, you’ve been doing this for years.” She fluttered her eyelashes before whipping her hair around in his face, leaving him with a basket and an itchy nose which he was still scratching after several minutes of aisle browsing.

Back at ‘aisle 19’, he caught Annie standing on her own, a finger to her lips as she decided upon a brand of travel size deodorant, oblivious to the fact he was standing at the corner, watching her as she was joined by a woman pushing a cart, a baby or toddler (he couldn’t quite work it out) sat in the fold down seat.

He indulged in the scene before him as the mother bent down to get a box of whatever it might be from the bottom shelf, leaving Annie to look as if she was going to turn back and push on, oohing and ahhing at the child before her.

He’d been thinking a lot more about family and the future ever since they’d confirmed the dinner with his mom. Sometimes he found himself _craving_ the idea of being settled down completely. Even if he could joke with Annie about being virtually already married, the idea of having a home and waking up each morning with a baby in their bed, sometimes made him fade out of reality all together.

It became an irritation when he couldn’t enjoy the simple things without the questions of ‘What if?’ and ‘When?’ popping up into his mind. He blamed it on being forty-one and having his cousins flaunt their picket fenced houses on Facebook all the time, because he highly doubted Annie was wondering down the shampoo aisle thinking about which one would be baby friendly.

Was it possible to be _broody_ and be a man? A man who did weight lifts and drank scotch and pretended most of the time that he _wasn’t_ proud of the fact he was now holding a packet of specifically branded pads for Annie without cringing?

He loitered around the check-outs waiting for her to finish, smiling when she came into view with a basket weighing her down like a tonne of bricks.

“Hey honey, do you need some help there?” Jeff smirked before taking the load off of her, dropping it down on to the side to start emptying. Annie was stood still, shaking her head as if he’d missed something.

“What?”

“You just called me… _honey._ ”

He was all of a sudden very aware of his lips as he moved them about, parting them and closing them, finally stopping himself by poking the tip of his tongue out.

“Oh… right, sorry, I didn’t mean to… just slipped, I guess.”

“No, no, I wasn’t saying it was a bad thing, it was actually really sweet.” He accepted a kiss whilst keeping an eye on the groceries which were now moving along the conveyor belt, letting his left hand swoop around her waist as she walked past to start packing. He smiled at her fondly, his thoughts and fears about the future being tucked away as she smiled back, her eyes telling him all he needed to know.

Later that evening, even though he’d shut the door and compartmentalised those concerns for _now,_ when Annie curled up into his arms in her tiny double bed and whispered, _“I love you.”_ with such ease and such sincerity - he knew one thing for definite; she’d make a great mom.

* * *

 

Doreen’s house was homely but surprisingly bright and airy, to Annie. The kitchen was open plan, with a dining table not far from the front door, with the living room to the left of that, a separating wall splitting up the space that contained two couches, a large patterned rug and a fairly decent TV up on the wall, similar to the one in Jeff’s apartment.

There was a staircase running from the dining space up to a hallway but so far in the evening, Annie hadn’t had the chance to explore. There were a few pictures dotted around, but they were mainly filled with pictures of Jeff’s aunts who she could now put faces to. She could spy two small circle frames at the top of the stairs which Annie _hoped_ were childhood photos of Jeff, because she’d yet to ever see any pictures of him younger than his early twenties.

There was a collar and lead hanging from the coat rack on one of the kitchen walls, which belonged to ‘Tucky’, Doreen’s neighbour’s dog who she often walked, because his owner suffered chronic back pain and was often unable to get out of the house.

Even though Jeff’s description of his mom had been fairly helpful in mentioning the fact that she was a former baker, it would be easy to work out she had some interest in cooking, not only by the amount of food on the table when they arrived, but by the décor on the walls. There were a couple of ceramic hand painted croissants on the wall along with a whole separate coat rack dedicated just aprons, which had been ironed and decreased meticulously.

As Annie sat across from Jeff at the table, politely using her cutlery in the proper manner with her elbows tucked in, she felt out of place for the first time. It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable being there, because she _adored_ his mom so far. She was similar to Jeff in the fact that she was cracking jokes one minute but was being truly honest and loving the next. She also looked fairly similar, just plumper and shorter and obviously more feminine. Her nose was hooked up at the end like Jeff’s and her ears flattened at the top, and sometimes when she smiled her teeth went downwards into her bottom lip. It all felt familiar, but rather disconnected.

She knew the main details and she had the note file on her phone just in case her mind went completely blank and it was too awkward to hint to Jeff that she was in need of help, but she didn’t _know_ this side of Jeff.

She didn’t know what it was like to see him laughing at jokes that had been running on for years _outside_ of Greendale. She didn’t know what it was like to see him helping put away dishes with his mom or what it meant for Jeff to know where everything went in somewhere else but the three small places she could call home (one of them being fairly new, over the past month or so).

“Right, I’m going to get dessert ready, do you want to go and show Annie upstairs?” Jeff shrugged before walking out from the kitchen, smiling as Annie sat round on her chair, putting her glass of water back down on the table.

“Do you want to go, I don’t know, look around? It’s not like it’s some time capsule up there or anything.”

She smiled back and followed him, taking her time to trace a finger up the wall that was layered with some form of textured wallpaper. She also took the time to finally take a closer look at the circular frames on the wall, holding back her disappointment when they were simply just decorative prints.

“That’s the bathroom, nothing fancy… although I’m pretty sure those are jets on the side, but I couldn’t be sure. I always use the shower.” Annie nodded in amusement as Jeff walked backwards pushing open all of the doors to show her.

“That’s a wardrobe.”

“Let me guess, it’s full of all your old clothes?” He opened it up at her question, leaving her to apologise jokingly at the sight of towels and laundry.

“This is my mom’s bedroom.” She peered in as he held the door open with his fingertips. It was a small room with two windows either side of a dresser, a double bed with an embroidered headboard and a rug which looked soft enough to sleep on. There was a small hanging decoration in cream which hovered over a small arm chair in the corner, four or five little birds hanging from the dangling jewels.

“Aw, I like it.”

“Seriously, this is your kind of thing?”

“No… I’m not saying I’d have a room like it, but it’s very… ‘cottage’-y. It suits your mom.”

“If that suits my mom, then wait for this room… this is where _absolutely no_ magic happens whatsoever… well, actually, I can’t be sure… it’s a guest room when I’m not here.”

She’d already guessed it was his room when they’d walked up the stairs, seeing as it was the final door in the hallway; closed off and barely used. She didn’t quite know what to expect when she walked in.

“Oh…”

“Yeah, I told you it’s no time capsule…” He continued to talk as she wondered around, her hands behind her back so she didn’t move anything that shouldn’t be touched, “…we moved out when I was fifteen. We would have moved sooner but with the whole divorce and everything, and not having a lot of money to work with, it took us a while… and then she moved when I left home, and then again before I turned… twenty-eight? It was definitely before I got busted as a lawyer.”

Annie was standing next to a dresser which had a shelf above it, home to a couple of knickknacks and Colorado themed souvenirs. Three model racing cars sat on top of the dresser, collecting a thin layer of dust where they hadn’t been touched. One of them looked a little worse for wear, with scratches all over its plastic windows.

“Are these yours?”

He nodded, standing in the middle of the room, just watching two worlds collide. That’s what it felt like anyway – he hadn’t brought anyone from his personal life home before, yet alone somebody from Greendale. He was glad Annie was the first though, because she seemed to like it.

“Can I…” She gestured to the older looking one, pretending to pick it up.

“Yeah, I don’t care.”

She picked it up and flipped it over, smiling slightly at the badly engraved plastic which spelled out ‘JEFF’. She then noticed that one of the wheels were missing when she rolled it against her hand.

“How old is this?” Jeff laughed whilst rubbing his eyes with one hand.

“How _old_ is that? I think the question you’re meant to ask is ‘How old were you when you got it?’”

“That’s the same question?”

“It _is_ the same question, but the first one made me sound like a grandpa.” Annie sighed before putting it back down, turning to face the bed which sadly only had new, stripy blue sheets on to match the bluey grey paint on the walls.

“ _But_ , I don’t know, I must have had that red one when I was about eight. The other ones…” He trailed off, making a point that he didn’t really want to talk about it.

She presumed the reason, understanding what he meant through his body language. When her parents had got divorced, the rest of her family had shoved gifts at her, thinking it would solve the problem, when really all she wanted for it all to be over and done with. When it gets that far in, and you’re in a world of paperwork and lawyers, it doesn’t matter how much your heart wants everything to go back to family vacations and happy photographs, because you’re just _tired._

It took her a moment to register what was the on the wall on the opposite side of the bed as she was distracted by the past, but when it hit her, Jeff knew exactly what was about to happen by how she turned and squealed.

“Oh… my… god. Are those _Star Wars figurines?!_ ”

He took one, long slow breath through his nose before hanging his head.

“Knock yourself out.”

“Eeee! Oh my gosh, have you told Abed about this? Why aren’t these in your apartment? These are amazing! What year are they from?” She was crawling across the bed at rapid speed so she could reach up to the individual shelves they were set on, carefully pulling down a miniature model figure of Chewbacca. She pulled in her bottom lip as she lifted up one of his arms.

“I don’t know, like 1980? I saved up all my pocket money for the Darth Vader one.”

“You do realise these are probably worth a fortune now, right?”

“Oh no, those ones aren’t. I’ve looked trust me… and you really think I’d get rid of them _now?_ ”

“Abed would be so jealous… you know there’s a new movie coming out this year right?”

“Yeah…”

She lifted her eyes, not looking at him directly as he came a little closer, before turning completely, not only pointing with her finger but with a three centimetre Chewbacca arm.

“You’ve memorised the date! You’re a closet nerd!”

“I’m not a closet nerd… and I definitely haven’t memorised the date.”

“Pffft.”

“I have not…” He rolled his neck around, making for a _very_ convincing case. She poked him in the chest with the all-important Darth Vader before he gave in, “… _December 18 th.”_

“HA!”

“So what? It’s easy to remember, your birthday is the day after.”

“Sure…”

Once she’d calmed down after the Star Wars excitement, she joined him at the end of the bed where he was leaning against the frame, pouting having not yet recovered from the embarrassment.

“Are you okay? It’s actually really sweet the fact that you’ve kept all of these things.” He uncrossed his legs to pull her in with his hands, knowing they couldn’t be much longer otherwise his mom would probably start to get suspicious (she was like that).

“Yeah, I’m fine… I’m just worried you’re not.”

“I am… at first it was a little weird, I guess I felt a bit like an outsider, but actually seeing where you stay and how sweet your mom is… and how sweet you are to her… I don’t know what I was worried about.”

“I told you! And she loves you. Seriously, she… I bet she’s down there working out her calendar for when she can steal you away from me.”

“Aww, would Jeff get all jealous because not all of his attention would be on him… aww, poor Jeffrey.” He sighed as she pulled at his cheeks, pinching them out whilst moving them up and down, making him blush uncontrollably.

“Stop it!” He whacked her hands off his face before capturing one them, bringing the pads of her fingers to his lips so he could kiss each and every one of them individually, continuing to kiss along her wrist and into the palm of her hand. When he finally stopped, he hung his head so their noses were touching.

“You’re beautiful and I love you.”

“You’re a nerd and I love you.”

He kissed her, slow and steady, before smoothing his nose down her jaw, letting out a mixture of a moan and a sigh as he kissed the side of her neck, staying there for a while as he wrapped his arms around her.

“You know you’re the first girl I’ve ever made out with in my bedroom, right?”

Annie jolted back in confusion, searching his eyes which were droopy and intense as he carried on clinging on.

“As in, in this house, or… _every_ house?”

“Every… no joke.”

“Wow… I feel strangely honoured.”

“You should do.”

They laughed into another kiss as Annie cupped his face, not noticing the door creak open until Jeff opened a single eye, pulling back immediately and dropping his eyes to the floor in a panicked stare.

“Dessert’s ready. Cherry pie, just for you, Annie.”

* * *

 

“That was _so_ delicious. Thank you! Do you have the recipe, because I would _love_ to make that… in fact, do you think that could work with blueberries?”

On the other side of the table, Jeff was sitting back with his hands tucked under his crossed arms as he puffed out his chest and watched Annie interact with his mom.

“Yes, of course, I can get it for you once I’ve cleared up. I think for blueberries you might want to change the quantities to make it a little sweeter, but that would be delightful I’m sure. Are you a big fan of blueberries?”

Jeff licked his lips, waiting to see what kind of conservative, ‘I’ve only known you a couple of hours’ answer Annie would respond with.

“I am… they have lots of health benefits to them too, so… I eat them a lot.”

Jeff was now leaning on his fist as he pushed up the tip of his nose, trying to hold back his smile and snorting giggle that he knew would release from his mouth and nose as soon as he moved his hand away. Annie raised an eyebrow in concern, wondering if she had food on her face or if she’d said something embarrassing.

“…why are you laughing?”

“Hmm? I’m not laughing… I’m just holding in the fact that Annie _freaking_ loves blueberries. That answer wasn’t what she really wanted to say. She could talk about them for hours.”

“I could _not!_ They’re just… nice.”

Doreen held a hand to her chest whilst stifling a chuckle herself, scratching behind her neck as the hours caught up on her.

“Jeff, sweetie, what’s the time? I can’t see the clock from here.” She twisted around and squinted, trying to work it out before having Jeff’s watched thrust in her face. She jolted back and read the time and shook her head at his over the top accessory.

“Actually, it’s almost ten, we should probably get going.”

“That’s a shame… you could always stay. There’s room for the two of you and I got everything ready for breakfast just in case.”

Jeff snorted before rubbing a hand down his face, not denying the fact that a sleep right now would be better than the two-hour drive back home.

Annie wasn’t quite sure what to say, mainly because she only had the clothes she was wearing and had hardly prepared herself for a night away.

“I don’t know… what do you want to do? It will be midnight by the time we get back, _and_ it’s a Saturday so a lot of people will be out so…”

Annie glanced at Doreen who was scooping the last bite of her cherry pie into her mouth, awaiting the final decision.

“I didn’t bring any spare clothes… or a toothbrush.”

“I probably have an old t-shirt upstairs and there will most definitely be a toothbrush for you to use… right mom?”

“Mhmm, most definitely, and you can always have one of the robes in the closet for extra warmth, but it’s fairly warm up there these days.”

“Um… okay? Yeah, sure why not.” Annie smiled with a raised shoulder before standing up with the both of them, taking what she could into the kitchen.

* * *

 

Once the door was locked, Annie settled down on the bed with the stripy sheets folded down around her. She had on nothing but a cornflower blue t-shirt which had two small moth holes on it and a slightly frayed neck line. Jeff had realised as he’d slipped it out of one of the dresser drawers that it could be compared to a dentist’s uniform, especially draped over Annie’s small figure. _No wonder I left it here._

It looked perfect on her nonetheless, especially with her hair messily draped on top of her head so it was out of her face, the sight of Annie in ‘his’ bed making him smile goofily as he turned away to strip off. He tugged on a pair of sweatpants that only just fit, before turning and crawling onto the mattress to join her, making Annie roll her eyes and giggle as he moved over her, letting his forehead drop to hers as he held up his weight.

He teased her ear, nipping away at the skin around her neck, regretting it when she slipped her hands up and over his shoulders and down his spine, because he had to drown out a moan in her pillow.

“Jeff… stop it! Your mom could walk in… plus, ew, I don’t want to be doing this when your mom’s here.”

“She’s gone to bed… and that’s what makes it hotter. The idea of getting caught… right? Isn’t that what teenagers do? It’s more about the thrill?”

“I don’t know… that’s so gross, you weirdo.”

He chuckled against her hip as he crawled back down, her thighs between his knees. She clenched her finger nails into the sheet as he brushed his lips against her the inside of her leg, working his way back up as she scrambled about trying to stop him.

“Jeff! Stop… oh my gosh, you… _I have to whisper because otherwise she’ll hear! Stop it! Jeff… Jeff!_ ” He laughed again as he caught her hands and brought them to rest on her stomach which was on show, his old t-shirt scrunched up under her bra which she’d yet to take off. Jeff’s smile faded as he caught a glimpse of his old red car in the corner of his eye.

“Can I ask you something?” He rolled off of her and leant the side of his cheek in the palm of his hand to talk face to face, as she twisted her neck on the pillow.

“What?”

“Well, it’s kind of a big question.”

Annie suppressed a gulp, concealing whatever reaction had spread across her face with a cough and a nod.

“Do you want kids?”

“That _is_ a big question.”

“Yeah, I know, I don’t expect you to an-.”

“I think so. I used to have a plan in my head for exactly what I wanted… go to university, get a good job, meet someone, get married, have kids, _three_ specifically, and then watch them do the same thing… but, I guess it’s different now. I’m not going to university… well, I don’t think I will be… and I didn’t meet someone how I thought I would… and marriage, is just _not_ on the table, or in my mind…”

Jeff was nodding in a daze.

“…I love you, and… I obviously _want_ us to get to that stage, but I can’t think about that right now… and kids? Now I think about it, I don’t think I could put a perfect number on how many, or _when_ in fact. The only real part of my plan which has stayed the same is getting a good job because I know what I want to do now. That doesn’t mean I don’t want a family though… I’m sure at some point I’ll get that motherly instinct and will be dying to have a baby running around my house but right _now?_ I think I’d go insane.”

He laughed into his pillow, coming back up to nod again.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I guess I’ve just been thinking about it a lot. It’s not a deal breaker or anything… I definitely want to get married though, which I know, probably sounds a little _odd_ coming from me, but… I know, I _want_ this.”

“I know… me too… you’ve been thinking about it?”

“Yeah… I… it’s kind of not going to be long until I can’t do that kind of thing… I’ve looked at the statistics and…”

She saw him look over her shoulder and she knew instantly what he was looking at. She wrapped her fingers around his and held them to her lips.

“…I just wouldn’t want to disappoint you when the time comes.”

“You wouldn’t disappoint me… and if it’s not a deal breaker for you, then it’s not a deal breaker for me. But look, seriously, what kind of couple has this kind of conversation when they’ve been dating for just over a month? I mean seriously? We seriously are already married.”

“May as well just get it over and done with then, huh?”

She rolled her eyes before he turned and got off the bed, her heart racing before settling back down as she saw him reach down his C3PO figure. He returned to his lying position, before walking the shiny gold plastic robot towards her.

“Will you not marry me and be my girlfriend of more than a month, and take this C3PO figure as a token of our relationship?” His ridiculous monotone British accent made her snort out loud, making him cover her mouth so his mom wouldn’t wake up.

Once she’d calmed down, she sat up and started to twist her hair up onto both sides of her hair, softening her voice into a slightly different accent.

“Of course, I will.”

Jeff had to break out of character to ask a quick question.

“Are you trying to be Princess Leia? Does that make me Hans Solo?”

She tilted her head, her hands still up by her ears.

“Although Abed would hate to know it… yes, in this scenario, you are Hans Solo.”

He nodded in agreement before lifting up C3PO in the air, to wave his small robotic arms up and down.

“You may now kiss your not-a-bride girlfriend.” They both fell in to hysterics at that, falling into a kiss which silenced them for a few minutes until they pulled back for gasps of air.

“That is the dorkiest thing you have ever done.”

“What are you talking about? R2 is the dorkiest droid.”

“Ugh my gosh, you should have done it as R2! Then I wouldn’t have had to hear your terrible British accent.” Jeff pursed his lips, acting like he was genuinely hurt by her criticism, before starting to whistle.

“Woo wee woo wee, wah wee woo.”


	17. Still Happening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DEN to DCA - departing at 4:20PM

The last day of the semester had already started weirdly. After rounding up the final committee meeting before the summer, Elroy had stood up, walked to the door and waved goodbye, letting everyone know that he had a job opening at LinkedIn and was off to reunite with a former high school friend who’d just become ‘unmarried’ as he called it. Jeff had muttered something about working slow but was soon shut down by Annie who glared at him and mouthed the words ‘six years’ across the room.

After a couple of nights of being apart, Annie drove in Jeff’s car to The Vatican where they were all meeting for some beginning-of-summer drinks, but left him in the parking lot around the corner after a kiss quick because his phone was ringing with his mom’s ID flashing back on the screen. She hovered by the car door for a moment or two, making sure it wasn’t an emergency, before being waved away with a quick reassuring nod.

She closed the door and walked with speed along the sidewalk, shrugging up her shoulders with a smile as she spotted Britta behind the bar already, wiping away a spilled drink and some scattered ice cubes.

“Where’s Jeff?”

“He’s still in the car, his mom called just as we parked up.”

“His _mom?_ As in the mom you met the other week but didn’t tell us until _after_ you got back from a _weekend_ away.” Annie rolled her eyes as she sat up on a bar stool, running her finger around the edge of a paper thin coaster.

“You _know_ I didn’t mean to not tell you. We thought we were just going for dinner.”

“It’s still insane to me how Jeff let you meet her. _None_ of us have met her. She’s just an illusion in our minds.”

“Why _would_ you meet her? Plus, it’s not like Jeff never talks to her… they’re pretty close nowadays.”

“Oh yeah, you would know because you’re staying for weekends away and things are getting _serious.”_

“Nothing’s getting _serious_ Britta. We’re happy and if that means Jeff’s fine with me meeting his mom, then great.”

“I guess things can’t get serious now can they, because you’re going away for the summer? And Jeff’s probably freaking out that you’re going to leave him or something.” Annie twisted in her lip as she fiddled with the coaster that was still underneath her fingertips, curling up at the edges where it had made contact with the damp surface from the earlier spillage. Britta squinted before stopping what she was doing to stoop down to Annie’s level.

“He’s not freaking out… because… he’s coming with me to DC.”

“Oh my… oh my god! Oh my god, _things are getting serious!_ ” Britta’s voice faded out in to a shrieking whisper as she pointed and scrunched up her nose, hopping up and down on the spot.

“Things _aren’t_ getting serious. We’ve only been dating for a couple of months Britta, it’s not _serious._ ”

“Why didn’t you tell us? I even _asked_ you about where you’re staying and you said you’d found a place.”

“Because… I didn’t know when Jeff wanted to say, so… I kept it quiet. But _please_ don’t make a big deal out of it when he comes in because that _will_ freak h-.”

“Are you talking about me?” Jeff decided to push through the bar door then, smirking as he stood inside before walking up to the bar to put a hand on Annie’s shoulder, kissing her on the temple.

“We _were_ actually… and how you’re going to DC with Annie and didn’t tell us.” Britta crossed her arms, watching Jeff’s eyes slowly roll back on to his girlfriend, flicking up and down her face.

“You didn’t tell them?” She shot round in bewilderment to look up at him with wide eyes and a raised eyebrow.

“You never _told_ me to?”

“I thought it would be something fairly obvious to tell them.”

“Yeah… hang on, no, I shouldn’t be agreeing with Jeff. Neither of you told us, you’re both as a bad as each other… which is why you’re perfect for each other, or whatever.” Britta waved a hand in the air before turning her back to them, pulling down a bottle of scotch she knew Jeff liked to splash it into a glass.

“I didn’t even ask for that.”

“What else do you want then?”

Jeff shrugged before pulling it up to his lips to take a sip before nudging Annie’s elbow for her to come and join him at a table once she’d received her Jack and Coke. They sat down on opposite sides, Jeff scratching his chin as he dropped his eyes to the neckline of Annie’s sweater which was dipping down further than it was probably intended to go. She frowned before pulling it up, crossing her arms over chest, her hands on her shoulders.

“Oh that’s just making it worse.” He smirked with a wink, making her hold her elbows up in the air to block his view completely.

“What did your mom say?”

“Not a lot. She wanted to know what date we’re coming back… that kind of thing. Nothing important.”

Annie nodded slowly as Britta sat down to join them, perfectly timing her seating with the door swinging open, Abed, Frankie, Chang and the Dean piling in.

“Oh come on, I just sat down!” Jeff snorted as Britta got back up again, bringing out two beers for Abed and Chang, shaking up a random concoction for Craig and a martini for Frankie.

The evening fizzled out nicely until the ‘What are you doing this summer?’ question got thrown about, making Jeff and Annie go quiet until everyone’s heads turned to them, realising they hadn’t said much.

“Oh yeah, Jeff’s going to DC with Annie.”

Jeff sighed at Britta, before crossing one of his legs over the other.

“You are?” Abed tilted his head, leaving Jeff to nod before smiling hazily.

“Yeah, I am… we’ve, erm, got a lot of catching up to do.” Annie smiled back at that, her face glowing in the dimly lit room. She had some hair in her face that Jeff so badly wanted to tuck behind her ear, so he did, before he could hold himself back. He stood and leant on his left foot to stretch out and cup his hand around her jaw, brushing his thumb against her cheek as he cleared her face, pretending that nobody was staring at him as he sat back down.

“Eww, gross.” Chang scrunched up his nose and shook his head in disgust.

“What?”

“We all know what ‘catching up’ is a code for, Winger.”

“What?”

“We all know she’s going to come back pregnant and you’ll leave her at the wayside and _I’ll_ be the one picking up the pieces and taking on the role as the father.”

“What the hell?” Jeff coughed out as his voice got higher, blinking away images of Chang and a baby.

“I am _not_ going to come back pregnant, it’s practically impossible and there is no _way_ that you would be the father Chang. You’re mentally ill, I’m pretty sure you’re still homeless and just… _no._ ”

“Ew, what do you mean it’s practically impossible, you guys haven’t had sex?”

“Can we please just drop this?”

“Erm, we’ve had sex Chang.”

Jeff rubbed a hand down his face as Annie blurted out the unexpected. It wasn’t something he wanted to hide, but the fact that she was so open and willing to the idea of everyone knowing made him want to curl up on his side and shrivel away in fits of embarrassment. But then again – he was having regular sex with Annie Edison… maybe he _should_ be bragging about it? Abed spoke before he could add on a snarky comment with a winning Winger grin.

“It’s about time I tell you I got the job in LA. I’m going to be working on a pilot for a new FOX show.”

Jeff’s lips parted as he took in the news, watching Annie clap her hands excitedly in the corner of his eye, her expression one of joy rather than surprise, as if she’d known the news for a while. He knew she’d mentioned LA, but not the fact he was actually leaving.

“You did?”

“Mhm.”

“His flight is the same day as ours… so, maybe we could give him a lift?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever, I mean, congratulations buddy.”

Abed nodded before accepting a supportive rub on the arm from Britta, who also didn’t seem surprised by the news.

“Did everyone know about this except from me?”

“Well… Abed just wanted to tell everyone in his own time, so… I’m not sure Frankie knew, did you?”

“Me neither!” Craig put a hand in the air, laughing as he called out.

“It’s big news… I mean, how’s Britta going to survive all summer without all of us?”

“Oh shut up, you’re not that important. I can survive without your sarcastic remarks and big forehead just fine.”

He didn’t even react to Annie’s laugh at Britta’s forehead comment, because he was too focused on the fact that maybe _he_ was the one who couldn’t survive all summer without _them…_ or even survive at all, because how likely was it that Abed was coming back? He knew Britta would be fine because she was thirty-four and lived for the legal drug laws and the ~~cheap~~ rent that Annie was still picking up on, and the simple life of bartending and that new job opportunity she’d found, but what if he came back with Annie and all of that wasn’t enough?

What if he came back and his fears were confirmed; she was too big for all of this. She was going to the FBI for the summer, and he was just an addition – a tag along. It didn’t mean she was going to come back for definite. It didn’t mean they’d come back and move in together. It didn’t mean _anything._

When he laughed for the rest of the evening, it was like a sound that erupted from outside of his body. He didn’t feel it in chest and he didn’t hear it linger as it echoed around the room. It felt like the night they’d said farewell to Shirley – emptiness and final moments and the kind of nostalgic feeling you didn’t want to feel because then it became all too real that this was now, and that was then.

He wasn’t scared. He was excited. Perhaps it was an adrenaline rush… one of not knowing what was around the corner. Okay, so maybe he was a little scared, because this was all new. He might love Annie and she might love him back but it didn’t mean they knew how to do it. It didn’t mean they knew it would last forever, because nothing did. Or had. Abed was leaving, Shirley was gone, Pierce was dead, Troy was travelling the world without them and Annie was going to DC for something more than a couple of months of fun and adventures.

And now he was standing in the study room, the lights all turned off except from this one in the corner that was left on for security purposes and the cleaning staff who were getting things ready for the summer students. He had in his hands in his pockets whilst Annie searched through her locker in the other block of the school, remembering she’d left something there that she couldn’t forget.

When she entered the room with a concerned looked on her face, all he could think to say was…

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For not telling you that I loved you sooner… for not knowing what the hell I’m doing and for making this summer about me, rather than you, and for not just telling you that I have no idea what I’m doing instead of freaking out.”

“Is this your freak out three thousand and one?”

“Possibly.”

He sighed and looked down at their hands which were joined in the gap between them, the fact that they fit together so well being the only thing seeming clear and uncomplicated.

“You’re not making this summer about you. I know that it’s going to be one _hundred_ times better with you than without you… like everything. Everything is better with you, and that’s not an exaggeration. I _love_ you. Of course I would have like to have heard it sooner but you’re right… it just means we have more catching up to do. I don’t know what I’m doing either… after this summer, I have no idea what I’ll be doing and that’s _scary_ to me. But that’s why I want you to come.

You’re my _best_ friend and I know that when I have half a dozen panic attacks about whatever embarrassing things I end up doing at this internship, I’ll have you to fall back on, and pick me up like you always do. I am… _so_ lucky.”

Her eyes were glossy and he could feel her pulse in his hand and for once he actually believed something. He was happy to accept that everything _was_ better with him, because if everything was better with _her,_ then it _had_ to be the same each way.

“Do you know what one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, is?”

She pouted before dropping her chin down to smile up through her lashes.

“Is there where you’re really sweet and say me?”

“No… but I’ll get to that. One of the best things, if not _the_ best thing that’s ever happened to me, is being asked to come back in this room, because if I hadn’t have met all of you, I’d still be the same jerk I was when we met. You all changed my life… actually, no, scrap that, you saved my life a couple of times. I will _never_ be able to repay any of you for that. Ever. I’ll try to, but… there’s just not enough I can do.”

She blinked and rolled her eyes at herself, closing her right eye for slightly longer so she could push back in a tear.

“The reason I didn’t say you specifically is, because luckily… you’re the best thing that’s still happening… and,” He stood forward and lifted her chin back up with a single finger, locking their eyes with so much certainty that Annie felt her swallow catch in her throat and her heart thud against her ribcage, “I never _ever_ want it stop.”

* * *

And then they were leaving.

The collar of Annie’s blouse still had tear stains from when she hugged Britta goodbye at the apartment, as they unloaded Jeff’s car and rolled their cases through the long stay parking lot into the airport. Jeff patted the trunk of his car and sent a small prayer to the automobile gods that it didn’t get broken into or that the battery didn’t die out whilst they were away, before pushing off, trailing behind Annie and Abed who were excitedly nattering between themselves now that they were here, and on the verge of something new.

The scent of the airport was a mix of dust and dirt, plastic and airplane fumes that somehow filtered their way through the huge glass windows and the tented roof above. Jeff told Troy that he’d never been outside Colorado, but it had been a lie in the moment, because what he really meant was, he hadn’t left Colorado since he was twenty-seven and that had been fourteen years ago.

The last trip outside of his home state had been to Disneyworld as part of a retreat with his law firm, but the amount of alcohol he’d consumed probably had him mistaking LA for Colorado anyway – there were mountains and hilltops; any drunk person might mistake the two.

He hadn’t told Annie, but on the flight back from Disneyworld that year, he’d used up most of the paper bags they had on board, and it had nothing to do with his alcohol intake, and _everything_ to do with the fact that he was hurtling at hundreds of miles per hour in a thin metal cylinder which separated him from life and death, so it was normal to feel nauseous before you’d even checked your bags in, right?

Abed was checking in at the desk beside them, so they were able to join up within a matter of minutes, do the tedious task of taking out their belongings at security, and then stand in a three-person circle, knowing that it would be the last time in a long while before they’d be doing it again.

Jeff’s eyes dropped to the spot between himself and Abed. Nobody else should be there, because this was right; Abed was going off to do is own thing and himself and Annie were going off to _their_ thing, but it also felt _wrong._ They should be waiting for the others to arrive. Britta would fit perfectly between them with her high heeled boots and her jeans covered in cat hair.

“So this is it, huh?” Jeff mumbled, his voice breaking up the silence.

“You’re going to do great Abed… and no matter what, you know you can… always… oh my god, why am I _crying?!_ ” Annie flung herself at him, closing her eyes and pulling in a whimper as she dug her fingers into his shoulder as if to leave a mark.

Jeff stood back and let them have their moment, knowing that they had a bond that he’d never be able to quite grasp or understand. Abed was more of a brother to Annie than her maternal one, but Jeff was glad of that in a sense, because Abed _needed_ somebody like Annie.

“Okay, your turn…” Annie stood back and dapped at her eyes, watching Jeff step forward and put his hands on Abed’s shoulders.

“Whatever you do… please, just call.”

Abed nodded before stepping into a hug, nodding over Jeff’s shoulder at Annie with a smile before closing his eyes and relaxing his face, feeling Jeff tighten around him.

“I’m going to miss you buddy.”

Abed nodded again, leaving Jeff to take it as a ‘you too’.

“You should come to LA.”

Jeff shrugged a shoulder at Annie before they both stood back and gave Abed one last goodbye. He did an odd combination of gesticulations and chest slaps with Annie before turning on his heels, rolling his suitcase behind him, and leaving.

Jeff felt Annie tuck into his side as they watched him walk off to a different side of the terminal for his flight which departed before their own.

“Is this what it feels like to be a proud dad?”

Annie squinted up at Jeff as he tilted his head in thought.

“I hope I’m not the proud _mom_ in this scenario because that doesn’t make _any_ sense.”

“You will be one day.”

“Why? Because I’m going to be your _baby mommy?”_ Annie teased, poking a finger into his rib.

“Mhmm.”

“Hmm… okay, well, we have a flight to catch!”

“We have an _hour_ to kill.”

“Well then, we can find a comfy seat and go over our plan for the week.”

Annie held down on his crossed over arms to reach up and press a kiss to his lips which were lifeless and not responding. She kissed him again, and again, and a fourth time until he captured her lips in his, teasing her bottom lip with his teeth.

“It’s like a three-hour flight right?” He asked against her cheek.

“Yup.”

“That’s gives us enough time to join the mile-high club, right?”

“Err, my god, you’re disgusting.”

* * *

They boarded the plane in front of everyone not only because Annie had purchased the queue skipping ticket option, but also because they’d arrived as soon as the gate had opened, leaving Jeff’s arms sore from holding both of their carry-on bags for so long.

The door opened to the tunnel, leaving him with no time to think about what he was about to do.

At the start of the year he’d been terrified he’d lost her all together, but now he was stepping onto a plane, and if anything went wrong, he’d be going down with her, like anything from now on. He’d rolled the dice. It was Jeff _and_ Annie, or nothing at all.

“Hi, good evening, could I have your boarding pass? Great… thank you. Hi, good evening, could I…” The hostess trailed off on auto-pilot as Jeff followed Annie down the centre aisle, tugging at his bag as it whacked into the backs of chairs as he walked.

“Okay, we’re here.” Jeff nodded as he stuffed their bags into the overhead compartments, stripping off his coat to squeeze into the remaining space before sitting back down with Annie, groaning as he caught sight of the aisle in front of them which had an obvious amount of extra leg room.

“Why did we not pick those seats?”

“They were already taken. You’ll be fine.” She patted his leg that was already bouncing up and down, the feeling in his stomach yet to fade.

“Do they sell scotch on here?”

“Are you nervous?” He looked at her as if it was the most pointless question to be asked by anyone who’d ever taken a single breath.

“Of course I am. We’re about to fly thirty-nine thousand feet above the earth. How can you _not_ be nervous?”

“Because it’s more likely you’ll die in car accident than it is you’ll die in a plane.”

“Oh great, now I won’t even be able to drive.”

“It’s fine… look, I have travel sickness tablets, I have some mints and some gum to chew for your ears, you can roll up my sweater for a neck pillow if you really have to and… I’m sure they sell a small travel size bottle of wine if you _really_ need it.”

“I think I _really_ need it… or two, or however many they have on board.”

“Do you know what you _really_ need to do? Hold my hand, take some deep breaths and not freak out because everything is going to be fine.”

“How do you know? What if… hang on – erm, excuse me… erm…” He waved out a finger to the air hostess who was walking down the aisle, checking on all of the passenger’s seat belts, “Hi, yes, erm, I just wondered… what’s the weather forecast, are we going to be going over a rough patch? Will there be turbulence?”

“It’s all expected to be smooth flying today sir. Enjoy your flight.”

He watched her walk away, not even dropping his eyes to her extremely short skirt that shifted up her leg every time she walked.

“Enjoy my flight? How can I _enjoy_ my fli-.”

“Everything’s going to be fine, okay?”

She squeezed his hand before bringing her hand up to the side of his face, her fingertips tickling is ear.

When she kissed him, the fear faded. The regret and the unknown and the doubt left too, drifting off to some faraway place, leaving Annie’s lips to taste of only one thing; hope.

The kind of hope that burned through their bodies, through every fingertip and through every heartbeat, to reassure them _both_ , that Annie was right, like she usually was; everything was going to be fine.

Finally fine, in fact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This was basically my dream version of S6, because yes Dan Harmon, Jeff and Annie are capable of being happy without ruining the rest of the show. Who knows, maybe I'll write a sequel, but for now I should probably have another fanfic writing break... or finally get started on that AU idea I had. I'm sure I'll be back soon! If not, you can find me on harryspaceshipmchale on Tumblr. Feel free to send me an ask about this whole story :)


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